Avatar Jedi
by Faldon113
Summary: Anakin isn't what he seems, no matter who you ask. He's not a slave from Tatooine like the Jedi think. However, he also isn't the perfect spy that the Earth military thinks he is. He's just a very confused person trying to decide what he should follow: his orders or his heart.
1. The Beginning of my End

Prologue

The Beginning of My End

The comm link is going off somewhere nearby. I'm not exactly sure where, but it doesn't matter. I can obviously hear it and can answer if I choose to. The thing is, I don't want to. Instead, I continue to lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to make a decision. There isn't much time left, and I still haven't made a choice. My commanding officers had often said that there was nothing quite like putting a difficult decision off to the last moment. Translation, there was nothing stupider, but I'd done it anyway. Hey, I never said I was smart.

Across the room, R2 beeps a question at me, clearly curious about why I haven't answered the call yet. I don't even try to explain the situation. The little astrodroid had become a confidant in the last few months, being both nonjudgmental and possessing a memory that I can delete at will, but it can only understand so much. As amazing as it is, the droid can't help me make my decision. It won't even understand the problem. Of course, it also won't understand why it won't understand.

"Attention," the comm suddenly hisses, crackling to life. My dull blue eyes flick towards the noise in bored fascination. Comms shouldn't be able to turn themselves on. "All operatives. Execute Order 66." Just as mysteriously as it turned on, the comm dies, taking my hope with it. My time is up, leaving me with no decision made. Rather, no personal decision made, considering the choice has clearly been taken from me.

Numbly, I roll off the bed, grabbing my lightsaber as I pass, more out of habit than anything else. It's not like I'll be able to take it back with me. R2 whistles another question as I step out of the room; the beeps becoming frantic when I key the door to slide shut before the droid can follow. Taking a moment to glance around the common room, I try to let the quiet and calm sink into me. This will be the last time I ever see these rooms, and I want to remember everything. Considering it's the middle of the night, I had expected the room to be still but tonight it almost felt – empty.

Shaking the notion from my mind, I slowly make my way to the main door, but a flicker of light caught my attention just before I stepped out. After so many years in the apartment I know every item, but this is new. It's a holo-image I had thought I would never see again. With trembling hands, I pick it up, letting the memories flood me. As far as holo-images go, this one isn't very good. It flickers occasionally, obscuring the image, and has an almost purple tinge, unlike the usual crisp blue. But my heart still constricts and tears fill my eyes as I read the engraving on the base. I hadn't thought he'd kept it all this time.

Placing the image back onto the small table, I run from the apartment. There is an hour from the time Order 66 is announced to its actual execution, and I will need every one of those seconds to turn things around. Yoda and I had planned on more advanced warning, so I need to start making up for lost time. Thank the Force it is late at night and most Jedi are still asleep. The long halls are almost empty, allowing me to run as I plan, only occasionally having to dodge around other beings. Order 66 is dependent upon the Jedi being caught unaware, so I have to alert the Temple to the approaching threat, but I'm not really sure how to do it without starting a panic. All the plans I'd made with Yoda involved alerting the Council and they would then initiate the evacuation plans, but the General had already lured them all away. That left me with one choice. The clones.

"Cody!" I yell, skidding to a stop before his door and pounding upon it. "Cody! Open the door, Cody!" I am so intent on rousing the clone I almost don't notice when the door slides open and my fist nearly makes contact with Cody's nose. It's only because of his excellent reflexes that I miss.

"Commander Skywalker?" Cody queried, already sounding professional, as though I hadn't just woken him in the middle of the night. For Force's sake, he already has his blaster with him. Does he sleep with the thing? Actually, never mind. I can hardly judge, considering I sleep with my lightsaber all the time and it's probably time I refocus.

"No interruptions," I order shortly, mentally calculating how much time I have left. "In a little less than an hour, the temple will come under attack by a force of nearly 13,000 troops and combat droids. They have advanced intelligence on our numbers, supplies, and general defenses, but what they won't know is that we'll be ready for them." Yeah, like that wasn't corny. "Gather your clones and place them at every entrance, especially the secret ones that Yoda and I showed you on the maps. Initiate the evacuation plan for the younglings and apprentices. If you need Jedi aide, wake any you require and inform them that Order 77 is in place. They will understand. While you secure the situation here, I'll go find the Council and bring them back."

Meeting the clone's gaze, I try to convey how serious the situation is. "Cody, you can't show mercy. These troops have orders to annihilate the entire Order. They won't stop until every one of us is dead. Tell your men that this is a fight to the death. We can't afford to be lenient." Another Jedi would have argued about the morality of such an order with me, but not Cody. He simply salutes before spinning on his heels, reaching for his armor. Knowing he will obey my orders perfectly, I take off down the hall at a run once more. There's still so much to do! We _have _to be ready for this attack. If we are, the Order will survive to see another day. If we aren't, we will all die. A simple way of looking at a complex situation, but that doesn't make it any less true.

"Agent Sky," the comm on my belt crackles, making my eyes narrow in frustration. They just aren't giving up. "Agent Sky, come in." A group of clones rush by me in the opposite direction, saluting as they pass. Cody is already at work. "Agent Sky, please respond." Down another hall, I can see some clones gathering together a group of sleepy younglings. They will survive, regardless of if the temple falls, and the Order will live through them. "Dammit, Sky! Answer us! The transport is going to leave you behind, and you know we can't leave any evidence. Sky, time is running out!"

"Tell me something I don't know," I hiss, dodging around another group of clones. This one has a couple Jedi Knights in their group who throw me worried looks. They know what Order 77 means and are reluctant to believe it is really happening. I try to give them an encouraging smile as I fly by, but it is probably more like a pained grimace. For the first time since I'd came to the Temple, I'm not sure how things are going to work out. Maybe the plan will work and everything will be fine, or maybe it will all blow up in my face. Only time will tell. Time that is rapidly disappearing.

Finally reaching the hangar, I swerve around the lone Jedi on guard, ignoring his surprised shouts. It isn't exactly uncommon for me to take a midnight flight, but I normally don't fly in a state of panic. A full moment goes by before I can slow my mad dash and actually seek out an appropriate vehicle, settling on a nearby speeder bike. It will be difficult to find anything better for speed or maneuverability, so I quickly jump on, kick over the ignition, and take off.

With buildings and lights flashing by me, I have a strange sense of deja-vu. The last time I had been this afraid while speeding through the upper level traffic of Coruscant was when Obi-wan had decided to hitch a ride on that assassin's drone and I'd had to save him. Same story now, except this time the assassin I'm speeding to save him from is – myself.

* * *

**Babble time: Okay, I'm editing this story. Should be done updating everything by the end of the week. This story is now a trilogy with the sequel fully written and in the final stages of editing. The third is still in the draft stage. Please feel free to review and tell me anything you want to see, are confused by, are upset about, and so forth. Flames will be used to build funeral pyres for all flamers.**


	2. Avatar Jedi

Chapter 1

Avatar Jedi

_Our world was dying, and we had no one to blame but ourselves. I see that so clearly now. Humans had destroyed the Earth for greed and no other reason, while also refusing to take the blame for the deteriorating condition of our home. It almost seemed to be a genetic part of our species as a whole, never changing throughout the millennia. However, as usually happens, everything eventually came to a head._

_Five-hundred years before I was born, the world was embroiled in a catastrophic war. A small faction of scientists, in an attempt to end the war and bring peace, created what was to become known as the Ultimate Weapon. No one remembers what it was or how it worked, but when the scientists detonated the weapon once as a warning, an entire island called New Zealand was destroyed. In the face of such destructive power, the war came to a quick end, but humanity soon realized that they were too late. The weapon's blast had been so powerful, it had pushed gases and debris into the atmosphere of our planet, causing the chemical composition to change rapidly. Less and less sunlight made it through the new layer of clouds, leaving temperatures to plummet. Couple years later, the world was locked into an ice age. The human race survived by creating underground cities in the two years it took the surface to freeze, but it was a close thing. By the time the ice age ended, nearly two-hundred years later, the human population of Earth was somewhere around a million._

_Being the most stubborn species to ever grace the planet with our foul presence, the human race was able to rebuild. Fear of the Ultimate Weapon was still fresh in the human mind though, so some things were left in disrepair. Basically, anything deemed "too technical", meaning almost anything more advanced than would could be found in the early 20__th__ century, was banned. Some exceptions were made, though never in weaponry, but for the most part all of the great advancements of the past were wiped away._

_It didn't help much though. Human nature hadn't changed in the slightest, so it wasn't long before wars began again. Swords, catapults, and arrows might have been primitive before the Ultimate Weapon, but they were still deadly. The mistakes of the past returned, giving rise to cruel monarchies and harsh dictators, every country or kingdom fighting it's neighbors. Eventually, one kingdom decided to ignore the unspoken ban of advanced weaponry and learned how to use rifles and explosive bombs. This kingdom used their technology to conquer their neighbors and eventually spread to control every part of the planet that was inhabitable by humans. It used fear and superior strength to keep its people in line as it slowly rebuilt the world as it was before the Ultimate Weapon. Power was all that mattered to the ruling family. They had no care for those that suffered so that they could gain._

_It's painfully obvious now that I look back, but in the moment I was just like everyone else. I took no responsibility for my actions, blamed others when something in my life went wrong, believed myself to be pure and blameless of any wrongdoings. I also believed in gaining the most profit while spending the least amount of energy, and I was quite good at it. The one time I didn't obey my silent law was when I joined the military. Some thought my decision strange, but I'd thought it was better than the alternative. Eventually, the choice proved to be a fruitful one and I came to enjoy the perks that came with being a soldier. However, it was because of the military that everything in my life changed, and not exactly in a way I had wanted it too._

* * *

"Sergeant Sky!" The shout rings out across the training grounds, causing every eye to flick towards the flustered major before most return to their previous activities. A single solder snaps to attention, saluting smartly and carefully with a sword in hand. However, before the soldier can verbally acknowledge the call, the major points to the base's conference building. "Report to meeting room 47B on the double, soldier!" the major yells before stomping away, cursing violently at being treated like a messenger boy. With his back turned, he fails to see the soldier he'd called out roll her eyes in exasperation while the people around her laugh.

"Guess I'll see you later," Sergeant Aria Sky says with a small wave to her sparring partner. At his nod of acceptance she lopes away, not wanting to be caught wasting time. She weaves through the other sparring teams easily, occasionally dodging wild attacks or flying bodies. The training grounds are a dangerous place for the unwary, sometimes proving to be fatal. It was not a place one willingly lingered. Only when she is free of the sparring circles does Aria sheath her blade and break into a jog, knowing that most people will get out of her way. After so many months touring small, backwater military camps, she enjoyed the advantages of being on a true base. Recognition and respect of her rank just happened to be her favorite. Not having to yell at people to move as she tried to get from one end of the base to the other resulted in her having a generally more positive attitude.

Any civilian seeing Aria as she jogged across the compound would have a difficult time believing she's a soldier, despite the uniform. With her thick blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pale soft skin, and lithe figure, she was often deemed too pretty to fight. Thoughts like that usually lasted until Aria physically picked up the doubter and threw them into or through a wall. She was easily the toughest and most stubborn sergeant in the military, often being reprimanded by her commanding officers but never quite pushing far enough to receive a court martial. Nevertheless, anyone who got to know the fiery soldier could tell that she had come from a dark past. There was a shadow and chill that lurked in her eyes that the bravest person feared. At times, she even scared herself.

Almost without realizing it, the blonde reaches the conference building and ducks inside through the low doorway. Inside, the secretary nods vaguely in her direction without looking up from the mountain of paperwork that she is going through. There always seemed to be enough paper on her desk to start a stationary shop, but today the pile is higher than normal, forcing Aria to sneak past so as to not trigger an avalanche. Once safely past, the sergeant quickly reaches the stairs and starts jogging up. The major hadn't said what the meeting was about, or who she was meeting, which added a hint of danger to the whole affair. Most humans understood that it took time for a person to travel from point A to point B, but some officers were not like most humans. They did not like to be kept waiting for any reason, especially if they felt that the meeting was important.

Room 47B is on the very top floor, at the end of the hall. Pausing just long enough to take a deep breath, Aria enters – instantly snapping to attention and saluting, heart feeling like it will beat out of her chest. "Ah, you must by Sergeant Aria Sky," the General says, seeing her as he looks up from the file he had been reading. "At ease, no need to stand on ceremony on my account." Slowly, Aria slides out of her salute, completely confused. An officer acting like a normal person is not something she is usually confronted with. "There," the man continues with a smile. "Isn't that better? More relaxed. Why don't you have a seat and we can get down to business." Catching the hidden order, Aria takes the offered seat. Her back remains painfully straight and tense as the General resumes reading the file before him. She can't be under review already; last month's review board had cleared her. Maybe someone had filed a complaint against her? That doesn't explain the General though. "An interesting file," the General suddenly says, interrupting her thoughts. "According to this report, you became a sergeant at the age of seventeen, a most impressive achievement. How did you manage that?"

"Fortunes of war, sir," Aria answers tensely, knowing the event he was referencing; the one that resulted in her promotion. "I was in the right place at the right time." The words 'and didn't die' remain unspoken.

"True enough," the General chuckles good naturally, thumbing through some other pages. "Trained as a combat medic, sharp-shooter, sword-master, even a mechanic. Strange, I didn't see any machine shop classes in your training list. Could you explain?"

"My squad got into a fire-fight and our radio was damaged," the blonde answers shortly, wondering why the man is asking her all these questions. Everything was reported in detail in her file; he should know all the answers already. Is he waiting for her to lie? "One of my friends is a mechanic, so I know the basics from helping him study for tests. After our squad leader had gotten us hopelessly lost, I did what I could with the radio and managed to fix it and call for help. I did what I had to do and we survived, which was all that mattered."

"Well said." The General smiles as he puts the file down and observes her with a critical eye. It is only years of practice that kept her from fidgeting. "Strong, determined, adaptable, and an amazing amount of luck. You're a bit more headstrong and stubborn than I originally wanted, but now I think you're exactly what we've been looking for." He nods, more to himself than Aria as he is lost in his thoughts. "Yes, you're perfect for this mission."

"I've been temporarily banned from missions, sir," Aria interrupts, wincing inwardly. She'd been a bit – reckless on her last few missions and her superior officers were tired of her nearly dying. "I won't be eligible for any mission for at least one more year."

"Not a problem at all," the General replies flippantly, waving her objections away with a lazy flick of his hand. "This isn't a standard mission. All you'll be doing is infiltration and reconnaissance. Spying, in other words." The blonde's eye twitches slightly; he makes it sound so easy. "You see, sergeant, we are trying to exterminate a very powerful and dangerous race of beings that have been deemed a threat to Earth. To do so, we must gather information from the inside of their culture. To that end, we are gathering soldiers with a wide range of skills and slowly planting them in the enemy's population." Pulling a file from his desk, he tosses it to her, waiting patiently as she opens it. However, before she starts reading, the blonde looks him in the eye, a warning gleam in her gaze.

"Is the Royal family aware of this plan, sir?" she asks simply, but the General can feel that there is something else lurking beneath the words.

"The prince is," he answers her easily enough. "However, the rest have no interest in the mission and have given entire control to me. They aren't even aware of what soldiers are being chosen." With the slightest incline of her head, Aria accepts his words and starts reading the file she had received. After several minutes of silence, she closes the file with a snap and looks up.

"These Jedi sound difficult to kill and even harder to infiltrate, sir. How is this going to work?" She knows she isn't going to like his answer the moment he smiles.

"Simple, sergeant. We are going to make you a Jedi."

* * *

_'Simple' he said. There wasn't anything 'simple' about becoming a Jedi. Turns out that while the Earth was thrown into an ice age by the Ultimate Weapon, there had been a science instillation on the moon that had remained unaffected. The scientists had managed to "survive" by cloning themselves so that as the original aged and died, the clones would simply take over the research, repeating the process as often as necessary. After the ice age ended and the current world kingdom learned of the facility, they had contacted the clones and started working with them once more. On the moon, the clones still had the most modern technology available, including vehicles that could travel to space called shuttles and strange boxes of light that they called computers. It was all so strange when I first saw everything, but the clones and soldiers that the kingdom had stationed on the moon assured me that everything was safe and normal. Of course, then they told me that all this tech belonged to the Royal family, which eliminated any comfort I might have had. Safe and normal didn't interest the Royals. Power and savagery did._

_At the instillation, the clones explained how they were going to make me a Jedi. They showed me something called a "movie" about this race of blue creatures and how humans were able to grow bodies that certain humans could control with their minds to look and act like the blue aliens. At least, I think that's what it was about. I spent half of my time trying to figure out how all those people could fit inside such a tiny box. Point was, the clones had discovered how to replicate the technology in the movie, creating bodies that soldiers could control mentally, which would allow them to infiltrate the Jedi._

_Despite having the entire procedure explained to me, I couldn't really understand what they were doing. The simple version is that they drew some blood, extracted my DNA from that blood sample, infused it with "mini-chlorines" or something like that, and tried to grow a clone. There were complications, of course, because nothing could ever be simple in my life. The clones created hundreds of bodies for me, but only one survived past the third day, and that one had somehow mutated into a male because of the "mini-chlorine" infusion._

_Nevertheless, I was assured that the body was perfect. It had a very high "mini-chlorine" count which would ensure the interest of any Jedi that got close enough to sense me. A temporary aging compound was given to the body, aging to the apparent age of nine, which was half my actual age. Any older or younger, and I risked my mind rejecting the false body, or so the scientists told me._

_Once the body was ready, it was shipped to a distant planet called Tatooine. Another body that was meant to pose as my body's mother was sent along. I remained on the moon with the other Drivers, the humans that controlled the bodies, to get some basic training done. About a month later, my body, which I'd learned was called an avatar, was on the planet and I synced with it for the first time. It was in in that moment that I made my first and biggest mistake. I gave my avatar a name._

* * *

"Anakin?" Startled, the young blonde looked up. At least he was remember to respond to the name now, he thought wryly, hoping the dark humor didn't show on his face. It wasn't something he really wanted to explain. "Are you cold?"

"Yes, Master Qui-gon," he answered quietly, obviously trying not to shiver. Despite being buried in a mountain of blankets, he could still feel the cold surrounding him. Space was quickly climbing the list of things he hated. This mission and the General were also steadily rising through the ranks. Anakin had been on Tatooine for six whole months, living as a slave in the middle of a god-forsaken desert planet, before the Jedi had found him and _that_ had been an accident. Then he'd been brought all the way to Coruscant and the Jedi Council, only to be rejected because he was too old. It had made an already difficult mission harder, and hadn't exactly endeared him to the Order as a whole.

However, there were Jedi like Qui-gon Jinn. They were gentle and kind and – good. Qui-gon especially had been nothing but helpful and supportive of Anakin since he'd first found the boy, but it wasn't just that. The blonde could see how much the older Jedi cared about every creature, human or not. He cared about the people of Naboo, risking his own life to try and save them. He cared about the slaves on Tatooine, trying to give them better lives. He even cared about the strange Jar-Jar Binks creature that Anakin still had a hard time believing hadn't died from its own stupidity yet. It was so different from the soldiers and world that Anakin had always known. Not only was Qui-gon peaceful, but that seemed to be the way of the Jedi Order as a whole, which begged the question of why the Earth military considered them to be enough of a threat to attempt to annihilate them.

Another blanket settled around Anakin's shoulders, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked up into Qui-gon's gentle eyes and tried to smile. "Better?" the Jedi asked, noting the way the boy tugged the blanket closer and tighter. The blonde nodded silently, his thoughts clearly still far away. "Anakin? Please, talk to me," the Jedi said, sitting next to the boy in an attempt to make him feel safer. "I might be a Jedi, but I can't read minds." The boy snorted in disbelief, but focused fully on the Jedi, which had been Qui-gon's goal. "Honest, Anakin," he said with a smile. "Jedi can sometimes sense emotions and make educated guesses of a person's thoughts, but we can't actually tell what they are thinking. Even if I could, I wouldn't. Your thoughts belong to you alone, but I am worried. I know you are confused and angry, but not why. Talking about your problems will help, I promise." For a long moment, Anakin stared up at him with his bright blue eyes, clearly showing the internal war that was waging. He even opened his mouth once, but closed it again without a sound and shook his head, burying his face in the blanket mound.

"I can't," he rasped, trying to vanish into the fabric that surrounded him. With a nearly silent sigh of disappointment, Qui-gon rested a hand on the hidden boy in comfort before getting to his feet and leaving. When the door had hissed shut behind the Jedi, two blue eyes peeked out from the blankets, obviously swirling with inner turmoil. He wasn't good at missions like this. Missions that involved planning and emotions were more trouble than they were worth. He preferred missions where all he had to do was react. There was less risk of being hurt that way.

"You know," Obi-wan suddenly said, startling Anakin and making him jump with a yell. "You should release those emotions into the Force." Scowling irritably, the blonde burrowed deeper into the blankets, mentally swearing at himself for not noticing that the younger Jedi had been in the room. He might have his doubts about killing Qui-gon, but the blonde had no regret for Obi-wan's pending death. The padawan practically oozed a superior and "holier-than-thou" attitude. Case in point –.

"It's not like I know how to do that," he retorted sharply, voice muffled by the blankets. "I'm not a Jedi. I'll never-" his voice caught with unexpected sadness "-never be a Jedi." For a long moment, Obi-wan stood still, watching the blanket entombed boy, before suddenly coming over to sit across from him.

"Releasing emotions isn't just for the Jedi," he said, sounding strangely calm and kind. "Anyone can learn. I'll teach you, if you want." A pair of bright eyes peered at him from the blankets, clearly debating if he could be trusted or not. The padawan waited patiently, though internally he wondered why he was offering. Teaching others had never truly been his forte, and he was pretty far from fond of the young former slave. He thought the boy to be brash, reckless, and slightly egotistical. Yet – there was something about the child. Though he couldn't explain why, Obi-wan felt he had a responsibility to care for and protect the young blonde. Perhaps it was because of his master's obvious interest in the child, maybe it was because the boy was really the Chosen One. Or maybe, just maybe, it was something beyond what he could comprehend. Maybe it was the Force. Stranger things had happened, after all.

Eventually, the blonde crawled out of his blanket fortress, sitting across from Obi-wan with guarded eyes. Knowing he was on thin ice, the padawan smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring and not patronizing manner. "Alright then, do you know how to meditate?" The blonde nodded, clearly skeptical. "Good, this should be easy then. Just do exactly as I say."

"I know how to meditate," Anakin interrupted, "but that doesn't mean that I'm good at it." Despite his dislike of the younger Jedi, the blonde couldn't resist a small smile when the older boy winced.

"Ah, alright then. This might take a little bit longer than I'd thought. We should get started. First, get into a comfortable position, but not too comfortable. Falling asleep won't help you." Outside the room, Qui-gon smiled and walked away. He'd been worried about the two boys, but now his concerns were soothed. At least if anything happened on Naboo, they would have each other.

* * *

_That was only the first of many things that Obi-wan would teach me, though we hadn't known it at the time. Neither of us were aware of anything changing, but the Force was pulling us together, preparing us for the years ahead. I'd never thought the Force would have so much importance in my life, back when I barely believed in it to begin with. I was so wrong._

_Almost from the moment we landed on Naboo, things started going wrong. As long as I stayed close to Qui-gon I was alright, but the moment we separated, my infamous luck caught up with me and the entire day went to hell in a hand-basket. I'd like to think that Qui-gon would have never let me stay in that starfighter cockpit if he'd known it was going to result in my being flown into a space battle and nearly dying a few hundred time. Sure, things had worked out in the end, but it wasn't exactly the safe place we'd both thought it would be._

_I'd never get the chance to ask him, though. I was still in space when I suddenly felt like something deep inside me was being ripped out. The pain was so intense that I actually checked to see if I was bleeding. It was so strange and scary, and I had no idea what had caused it until I landed. All it took was one glimpse of Obi-wan's tearstained face and I knew. Qui-gon was dead, and, somehow, I had felt it. I had lost something I hadn't even known was important._

_I wasn't aware of my tears until Obi-wan drew me into his arms and let me sob into his chest. He told me that he was going to train me; that I would be a Jedi even if the Council disapproved. At the time, I cared less for his promises and more for the realization that I was showing weakness, crying for a man I barely knew and on a man I didn't like, yet no one was criticizing me for it or telling me to get over it. I was allowed to grieve, something that I'd never had before. In that moment, without my knowledge, one of the pillars from my old life crumbled and fell._

_The rubble of that tower would build the second link in the chain that bonded me to Obi-wan and the Jedi._

* * *

"Do I really have to wear this?" Anakin complained, tugging at his tunic again. Chuckling slightly, Obi-wan batted his hands aside and straightened the offending garment. He had to admit, the pale beige outfit did look pretty bad on the young boy. It was a little too similar to the slave clothes he'd been wearing till that point.

"Yes, Anakin, you have to wear this," he chided gently. "The Council accepted you into the Order, which means that you are a Jedi now, and this is what Jedi wear." The blonde just scowled mutinously. Though he was careful not to show it, the older Jedi was almost happy about the complaints. Since Qui-gon's death, the boy had seemed to be lost in a world of grief and lost. The recovery was slow and time-consuming, so the newly made Knight was determined to treasure and encourage every sign of life that he could get from his new charge. "Tell you what, if you promise to stop fidgeting, I promise to ask Master Yoda about alternative clothes or colors. Agreed?" Reluctantly, Anakin nodded. "Good. Now, about the braid." Instantly, Anakin's hands flew up to cover the thing. Obi-wan had to admit, it was pretty scraggly and ugly. The blonde's hair hadn't exactly been long before the haircut, so what little they could braid was pretty pathetic.

But the Jedi had a plan for that. Only hours ago, his own braid had been cut in the knighthood ceremony. His hear still clenched when he thought about how Master Yoda had been the one to cut the braid and not Qui-gon, but he pushed the pain away as he pulled the severed braid from his belt. Ignoring Anakin's protests, he undid the blonde's braid and braided _his_ hair in place. "There," he said, giving the combined braids a tug. "Now you look like a real padawan."

Almost hesitantly, Anakin reached up to stroke his new braid. His hand was shaking with emotions that were shooting through his mind faster than he could keep up with. Then, to Obi-wan's pleasant surprise, the blonde closed his eyes and slowly released his emotions into the Force. When his eyes opened again, they were bright and clear.

"Thank you – Master."

* * *

_Later that day, we attended the awards ceremony with Queen Amadala and the Gungans. It was the first time I officially met Chancellor Palpatine and had a chance to observe him. I knew those laughing eyes the moment I saw them. It was the damn General that had sent me to the Jedi. Unconsciously, I stepped slightly behind Master Obi-wan so that his cloak would hide me. For a second, I could feel his surprise through the new training bond that had been formed just the day before. Then, without a word or hesitation, he spread his feet apart a little, clearly coming between the General and I while assuming a protective stance. The General noted our interaction and his eyes flashed but it was over so fast I might have been the only one to notice. No one knew it at the time, but it was in that moment that my heart made its choice._

_Now to see if I chose correctly._


	3. Trapped in a Dark Tide

Chapter Two

Trapped in a Dark Tide

_The years went by. Four, to be exact. Well, okay, four years, three months, one week, and five days if you really wanted to be exact. Mentally, emotionally, even ideologically, it was a hard time for me. I worked with, trained with, and befriended people I knew would eventually die because of me. My best friend in either life was a Twi'lek whose name I could never pronounce, so I called him Adam. Every time I was with him, all I could think about was how, in a few years, he'd be dead. Of course, that was considering he survived the war at all. The General was letting the conflict grow, hoping it would weaken the Jedi. It was like a giant chess game and I wasn't sure if I was a pawn or a king. Hell, I wasn't even sure what color I was._

_One of the few things I was happy about was that I could sleep without my mind jumping from one body to another, like in that movie the clones showed me. Shows just how little I had to be happy about. I used sleep to travel, yes, but it was a conscious choice. I just reported every couple months and then pretended I was a Jedi the rest of the time. Is it any wonder that I was slowly going insane? And then, because I can't possibly have a lucky break, life had to throw me a curve ball._

* * *

The room was dark, except for one light which flickered every few seconds. That was a pretty rare sight on the science station, which ran on electricity and was always blazing with strong and solid light. Even rarer to find a room that was almost entirely empty and still. All that could be heard was the steady thump of a rubber ball hitting the wall. Thump-thump-thump-thump.

Aria found the sound to be soothing. The counselors had given her the stress ball to help with her anger after she had thrown a guard out of a sixth story window. She found the ball rather pointless unless she was throwing it at something though, and apparently throwing it at people was unacceptable behavior. Of course, she wouldn't need the ball if she could just release her anger and frustration into the Force, like master Obi-wan had taught her. However, the General had forbid all Jedi Drivers from practicing any Jedi customs when they were not synced with their avatar. Something about not contaminating the rest of the station's population. The other Drivers didn't have a problem obeying the order, or others that were similar. Only Aria struggled to obey and, more often than not, she gave in and found secluded places on the station where she could meditate and act like a Jedi. It was a better alternative than a silly little ball. She'd nearly killed a man in a mild fit and they gave her a rubber ball to squeeze when she got mad? Not the brightest people in the universe.

"Get lost in thought again?" Caelum asked, wheeling into the room. As far as Aria was concerned, Caelum was the ultimate example of losing everything in life and still coming out better. With his muscled build, bright green eyes, messy red hair, and warm smile, he'd been a heartthrob and could have done whatever he wanted in life. For some reason, he had chosen the military. He'd been a sergeant when his spinal cord had been damaged and he lost his ability to use his legs. Rather than giving up on life, as many injured soldiers were wont to do, he decided to retrain as a doctor and ultimately became a scientist that was assigned to the moon lab. He was the one in charge of Aria and her Anakin-body, making sure both were doing well and overseeing the sync process to keep the blonde safe. Because of the assignment, the two had been required to spend a substantial amount of time with each other and had become close friends – until now, at least.

"I'm short," she snarled, hurling the ball at the wall again with excessive force. "You bastards didn't tell me that you were going to de-age my original body. Look at me! I'm a midget!"

"But isn't it nice to be fourteen constantly instead of going from fourteen to twenty-two and back all the time?" Caelum asked jokingly, laughing and dodging when she threw the ball at him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It wasn't my choice, you know; all the Drivers are being aged or de-aged to match their avatars. The changes will be reversed when the mission is over. But for the record, you make a cute fourteen-year-old." She really did. Her skin had become pretty pale over the years on the moon, not seeing sunlight like she used to, but her hair and eyes were almost brighter because of it. Caelum also swore that her eyes were bigger and more puppy like as a young teen, but he kept that thought to himself. Friend he might be, but he didn't want to give her an excuse to throw stuff at him. "And you're not short. In fact, you're a bit above average for your new age group."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Aria turned to face the window she'd been sitting next to. This room was on the topmost floor of the station, on the lunar surface and looking out towards the Earth. Most of the humans from Earth were enthralled by the view, but Aria hated it. The view made space seem vast and cold, even dead, just as the surface of the moon was dead. She knew now that space wasn't like that at all. It was bright and chaotic, filled with life and noise. How could the people of Earth miss it where the Jedi could see it so clearly?

"You need to re-sync with your avatar soon," Caelum reminded her, but he only got a grunt in reply. Sighing, he turned and wheeled out, leaving Aria alone with her thoughts. Silence fell in the room once more, broken only by the steady thump of the ball as it hit the wall. A few minutes later, the blonde stood with a sigh. She knew it would actually take some time to make it down to the floor where the sync room was located. The moon lab was far more expansive than she'd originally thought when she'd first seen it. The top most floor was the only portion above the lunar surface, and there were several stories underneath.

Calling up the map of the lab in her mind, the blonde tried to trace a path that would get her to the sync room as quickly as possible. First floor, where she was, comprised of conference rooms and the large hangar bay. The second floor had the equipment rooms and a few labs where the scientists could review the data brought in by the Drivers. Next floor, the third one, was a maze of training rooms, used for a large variety of events. Then came the fourth floor which served as living quarters for the scientists. The Drivers technically also had their own quarters, but most spent very little time outside their avatar bodies so the rooms remained unoccupied.

Fifth floor was medical, capable of doing everything from curing a cold to amputating a limb. The entire sixth floor was a giant dining hall, large enough to accommodate the entire population of the lab, which was well over five-hundred. Then there was the seventh and final floor, dubbed the sync room. More like a chamber than a room, it held three-hundred sync ports for the Drivers to occupy but most of the time there was very little activity in the area. The scientists preferred to run their experiments on the second floor and only came to the seventh if a Driver was scheduled to leave sync or if there was an emergency.

From the second floor down to the sync room, the center area was just empty space so that every floor could see down to where the Drivers were. That's where the blonde had thrown the guard. One would think that, with such a large empty zone, there would be a staircase straight to the bottom, but nooo. To get from floor one to floor seven everyone had to wind their way through each individual floor, taking staircases that were no where near each other. Apparently during construction no one had realized that it would be easier to just make one giant staircase.

Grumbling, Aria finally picked a route that should be clear at this time and tucked her stress ball into her pocket as she got ready to leave. However, something stopped her and she looked out the window again. For a long moment, she stood there, watching. Then, with a little huff, she quickly released her emotions into the Force and resumed her trip, jogging out the door and trying to put the moment behind her. The Jedi thought that she could sometimes see the future, a thought shared by some of the soldiers she'd served with on Earth, but all the blonde knew was that she could sometimes tell when things were going to change. It was like she was standing in the current of a river all the time, and could feel when it shifted or changed. Sometimes the feeling became warm and she knew that the future would bring good changes. But sometimes, the shifts were cool and warning of bad things to come.

Just then, the current had turned freezing.

* * *

_My life with the Jedi was slightly easier than my life on the moon, strangely enough. I knew where I stood with them, even if I wasn't always happy about it. Some, like Master Mace Windu, didn't like me. I'd say hate, but Jedi don't hate anything. Others, like Adam, welcomed me with open arms. A few, mostly the younglings and apprentices, kept waiting for me to do something spectacular since the Order thought that I was the Chosen One, whatever that meant._

_And then there was Master Obi-wan. The one Jedi I should have been trying my hardest to stay away from emotionally was the one that had wormed the farthest into my heart. We'd come a long way from my initial opinion of him before Naboo, bonding together in our grief for Qui-gon. Now, there was no one I cared for more, in either life. Strange thing was, I could never decide whether I resented him for that or not._

* * *

"Anakin, don't forget your boots!" Obi-wan called, getting slightly exasperated. This was the fourth time he'd had to call the young teen back inside because he was missing a piece of clothing. "And please, for the love of the Force, tell me you have your coat on."

"Of course I have my coat on," Anakin chirped, skipping back into the room. "And my gloves and my scarf and now my boots. As an added bonus, I'll even put on my hat. Now can we go?" All of Obi-wan's frustration melted away to be replaced by fondness. He kept forgetting how important this was to the young boy.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he chuckled, grabbing his own coat. The blonde whooped in excitement and dashed back out the door, conveniently forgetting his hat. Shaking his head, the older Jedi just grabbed it as he walked past. Anakin wasn't usually this forgetful, so he could be forgiven this time.

Just as he'd expected, Obi-wan found his young padawan just inside the main door, a look of pure wonder on his face as he stared outside. "Aren't you going to explore?" the elder asked, placing the hat on the boy's head and chuckling at the ruffled look it made. They'd have to cut the blonde's hair again soon. At least the braid was looking better. Amazing what four years of growth can do. "It won't break, I promise," he continued to tease. Gulping with sudden nerves, Anakin took a careful step out and was rewarded by a very loud crunch. Obi-wan burst out laughing as the boy glared at him. "Well, it didn't break, did it?" he asked, finding himself rather amused by his padawan's reaction to snow. "Come on, we need to get to the research station. I swear, you aren't going to hurt anything just from walking." Getting a dubious look in return, the older Jedi just rolled his eyes and strode off, hearing Anakin scramble after him a moment later.

They walked in comfortable silence for a while, Anakin staring around him in awe while Obi-wan tried not to laugh. "Is it always so white?" the enthralled blonde asked, carefully reaching out to touch a snow laden branch.

"Not always," his master admitted, carefully moving around an icy patch. "Sometimes it is contaminated by airborne pollutants, like smoke or ash, which will affect the color. However, pure snow is white, yes."

"It's nice," the blonde said, voice quiet and soft. Obi-wan glanced back just in time to see a look of sadness flash across his padawan's face. "Another thing we've lost." Silently, the older Jedi turned back towards the path, marking the event in his memory. It didn't happen often, but sometimes he wondered just what Anakin was hiding. Qui-gon had mentioned it once, just before the mission on Naboo.

'I don't know how, but Anakin is not what he appears to be,' his old master had said, eyes distant. 'His mind, his spirit, is older and darker than a child's should be. More bitter.' Then he had looked at Obi-wan, a deep sadness in in his eyes. 'The Force is giving Anakin a second chance, Obi-wan. We can't let it go to waste. We might be his last hope.' Those words had never faded from Obi-wan's memory. Anakin didn't slip up often, but it did happen. Little things, insignificant things, but when they all piled up it became clear that there was something the young blonde wasn't telling them. So far, Obi-wan and Master Yoda had been the only Jedi to notice the inconsistencies, but neither had seen enough to guess at what the truth could be. For now, they could only watch and try to help wherever the blonde would let them.

With a shake of his head, Anakin banished the lingering regret and glanced towards his master. It didn't look like the elder Jedi had noticed the slip, letting the boy breathe a little easier. Mentally, he started berating himself for the comment. He was supposed to be from a desert planet; how could he have 'lost' snow? In truth, he'd been thinking about Earth, which was still suffering from the Ultimate Weapon. The chemical composition of the atmosphere was still not balanced as it had been in the past. On the moon, the scientists had insisted that it was normal to go from an ice age to an era that never saw snow. In time, the climate would start to regulate again and winter would return, but for now, no one from Earth had seen real snow.

But that was all irrelevant, considering he wasn't supposed to be from Earth. He was supposed to be a former slave that had lived on Tatooine all his life. It wasn't common for him to forget that little detail, but it did happen. So far, he didn't think any mistakes had been caught, but there was no way that would last.

It wasn't like he didn't have other things to focus on anyway. The research station on this planet, Cygnus, had fallen silent a week ago. Natives of the planet had reported Separatist troops and the Council was worried that the station had been attacked. Anakin wasn't so sure. The General hadn't mentioned a pending attack on any research station, and he usually kept the blonde up to date about such attacks because he loved to watch the boy struggle to remain silent. Besides, even at fourteen Anakin had a reputation among the Jedi for making plans and finding solutions to problems quickly. It was a reputation that the General and other Drivers wanted him to keep.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan called in warning just before the blonde walked into a tree with a loud crack. "Are you alright? Honestly, where is your mind right now?"

"Obviously not here," the younger Jedi grumbled, rubbing his nose but otherwise fine. He didn't even complain when his master came over to check for injury. "Since when is it ever?"

"Well, you'd better get it, because we're here," the elder warned, having spotted the station through the trees just before his padawan had decided to take a close look at a tree trunk. Satisfied that there was no lasting damage, he ruffled Anakin's hair through the hat, laughing at his scowl. "Come on then, sooner we finish the sooner we can have some fun." He paused long enough to make sure the blonde would follow before making his way to the station and ducking inside. Because of his haste, he missed the blonde's longing glance towards the snow covered forest before he followed his master.

That turned out to be a good thing, because the moment Anakin set foot in the station his face contorted into a snarl. Something evil was waiting for them; he could feel it like an acid film was suddenly coating his skin. The last time Anakin had felt this kind of danger was back in his original body, when she'd been sent to capture an escaped specimen from a lab on Earth. The thing had nearly beheaded her and would have succeeded if the gut instinct hadn't warned her in time to duck. Ever since, she'd made a special effort to never ignore the feeling.

"Master?" Anakin called, slowly moving forward. He couldn't pinpoint where the danger was coming from, but it was close. Way too close for comfort. And of course, true to his shitty luck, Obi-wan was already deep in the station and not listening for him. "Damn," the blonde hissed, drawing his lightsaber but not activating it. Of all the times for his mater to become inattentive, why now? "Master Obi-wan," he called louder. "Something's-."

A hand slapped across his mouth, partially covering his scream. The sudden jolt of panic slipped along the training bond, much more noticeable than his early unease, and alerting his master to the problem. "Anakin?" Obi-wan called, the blonde's own fear seeping into his voice. "Anakin!" Something sharp pulled at the padawan's mind, wrenching him out of his body and into darkness. "_Anakin!_"

* * *

_I'd been a soldier for years. I'd faced guns, swords, explosives, the occasional mutant monster, and being shipped to another galaxy. Fear had become a foreign concept to me. Yet in that one moment, I was afraid. Afraid that I would never see master Obi-wan again. And then afraid _because_ I was afraid._

* * *

With a heart-stopping jolt, Aria's mind slammed back into her body. Before she was even partially cognizant of her surroundings, she was moving, rolling away from the evil she could still sense beside her. Instinctively, she reached for her saber and was only slightly surprised to grab her side arm instead. Deciding that a weapon was a weapon, she pulled it out and aimed at the threat, only vaguely aware of what she was seeing.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly shouted, making Aria freeze. Her muscles remained tense as she finally registered where she was and who was around her. The sync room was buzzing with activity, everyone yelling questions and running around, but the blonde's focus was on the man that was standing beside her sync-station. He was someone she'd never seen before, though something about him was familiar. A tall human with reddish skin, closely crapped black hair, more scars then she could count, and all black leather clothes, there wasn't a single thing about him that didn't scream that he was dangerous. What chilled her blood, though, was his yellow eyes. They glared at her malevolently, like a cat would glare at a mouse that had managed to escape. "Sergeant Sky, release your side arm."

"Hell no, sir," she snapped back, recognizing the General's voice but refusing to look away from the person before her. "Not until someone tells me what just happened and who the hell this is."

"Watch your tongue," the stranger hissed, making Aria gag inwardly. The Force was strong with him, but was black and putrid, making her feel ill just being near him. "Or I just might rip it away from you."

"Please, Lord M'ren, calm yourself," the General tried to soothe, finally stepping into view, though he remained careful to avoid actually stepping between the two. "Sergeant Sky is a valuable agent and we can't risk-."

"Losing her tongue would not affect the avatar," M'ren interrupted, taking a step forward. Aria matched him by taking a step back, tightening the grip on her sidearm. She wasn't sure a bullet would affect a Sith, and she was sure that he was a Sith, but it might distract him long enough for her to get away. "She walked into a situation she should have avoided and tried to alert a Jedi to my presence. She deserves to be punished."

"I had no choice," Aria retorted, ignoring the General's gesture to remain silent. "I was not informed of your presence; I was unaware you even existed. Yes, I tried to warn my master, but only because I felt danger that I was not prepared for. If I hadn't tried to warn him, I would have fallen under suspicion of the Order." For several long seconds, the two maintained a tense standoff, both ready to attack at the slightest provocation – until M'ren smiled and leaned back.

"You don't scare easily," he noted, his voice colored with amusement. "It would be a shame to lose someone so – entertaining." His eyes narrowed, even as the smile took on a dangerous tinge and grew. "I believe I will continue to watch your growth, Aria Sky. You will either become a powerful ally, or a most worthy opponent." With a nod meant more for himself than the others in the room, M'ren turned and stalked out of the room. Only when she could no longer sense him did Aria release the death grip on her sidearm as she slid it back into the holster.

"Who was that bastard?" she asked quietly, glaring out into nothing.

"A Sith," the General sighed, making the blonde soldier jump. She'd forgotten he was there. "A real Sith." Despite her best attempts, Aria couldn't feel any sense of disgust from him. Fear, awe, longing, even some jealousy towards the blonde herself was all that he was feeling. Was she supposed to be honored the creep was interested in her? "That, Sergeant Sky, is a true Sith, not a cheap imitation one like those the Order is so busy hunting down. He is our true master." With a shake, he came back to himself and barked for some scientists. They quickly converged on the area, apparently having been waiting for the signal. Chaos ensued as everyone tried to figure out how M'ren had forced Aria's mind back into her original body. It should have been an impossible act, although Aria was learning to never apply the word impossible to any situation in which the Force might be used. Which is every situation.

In the middle of all the chaos was Aria, staring off towards the absent Sith. Even as the scientists chattered around her and she was questioned, she could only frown as one thought continued to circle in her mind. 'He's not _my_ master.'

* * *

_That was the first time I'd met the Sith. Really wish it had also been my last. The scientists worked quickly to return me to my avatar and with every passing second, my unease grew. I didn't like being away from Obi-wan when I had to, so this was extra grating. M'ren had mentioned that I didn't scare easily, so what did it mean that my master was the one being I felt fear for?_

* * *

"Anakin? Anakin, wake up. Anakin, please wake up! Anakin!" Groaning, the blonde managed to open his eyes. For a moment he was able to see Obi-wan's worried face hovering over him, but then the pain hit and his eyes slid shut again. "No, no, stay with me Anakin. Don't go back to sleep."

"Hurts," the blonde rasped, trying not to gasp as pain lanced through him. Even as he fought the pain, his soldier training was kicking in. Half his mind was trying to identify his wounds while the other half struggled to sense his surroundings to see if he was safe.

"I know it hurts," Obi-wan soothed, gently stroking his padawan's hair. He kept his gaze firmly away from the blonde's mangled leg and the weeping wound on his chest. "I've already contacted the village and they're sending a healer. As soon as the he arrives we'll get you back to the ship and return to the temple so Master Bant can heal you." Anakin nodded faintly, a pained grimace seemingly carved on his face. "Anakin, can you tell me what happened?" The blonde's breathing had already degraded to the point that he was panting, so Obi-wan wasn't expecting an answer, simply wanting to keep the boy awake, but he received a nod anyway.

"Felt darkness," Anakin panted, forcing his mind to focus on the task and not on the blood he could feel dripping off his face. "Evil – tried to warn – attacked me – didn't see-." Another lance of pain cut him off with a gasp. Something was wrong in his chest; a broken rib perhaps? He'd already identified that one of his legs was broken as he could feel the bone sticking out of his skin.

"It's alright," Obi-wan said, noticing how the blonde was struggling. "Whatever it was, it's gone now." That, at least, he was sure of. The Dark side of the Force had been so dense when he'd arrived it was almost visible, but it was gone now. "The healer will be here soon, so just rest for now."

Anakin wanted to argue, he really did, but air was becoming a precious commodity that he was running short on. He spared a moment to wonder why M'ren had injured the avatar body when it would have no affect on his original body, but quickly shrugged the question away. The man was a Sith; what other reason did he need?

A hand gently took hold of Anakin's, making the blonde open his eyes again. Obi-wan was staring at him, somehow more serious than normal. "I failed you," he said quietly. "I swear, it won't happen again." The blonde opened his mouth to deny the failure part, but clamped it shut when blood welled in the back of his throat. Tears filled his eyes and were echoed by his master. Finally, Anakin nodded and allowed his eyes to close again, not noticing that, despite his wounds, he was no longer afraid. He was never afraid when he was with his master.

* * *

_It was a month before I managed to fully heal from the attack. Master Bant quickly became tired of me as I was confined to her infirmary for the duration of my recovery. Honestly, I became pretty sick of her too. However, I preferred her grouchy overlord personality to Obi-wan, who apologized every time he came to see me. I finally screamed at him after a week of being trapped in the temple which, sadly, was my biggest slip in regards to my true mentality. And of course, the mistake was witnessed by several Jedi, including members of the Council. Master Windu in particular became very suspicious, but had always had a certain amount of dislike for me, so I wasn't overly concerned on that account. It was Yoda I was worried about. The General kept assuring me that no Jedi would be able to see what Earth was doing, but he didn't know Yoda like I did. If there was a Jedi that would be able to put all the pieces together, it was the little green Master._

_But as time passed, their suspicions faded. By the time I was cleared to resume normal Jedi duties, the event was all but forgotten. Those that remembered decided that it was a natural side-affect of keeping an active teenager on confined bed-rest for more than a couple days._

_Despite my frustrations with my master, I couldn't help but appreciate him as he helped me through every stage of my recovery. There were times I know I wouldn't have made it if Obi-wan hadn't been there to give me the gentle push that I sometimes needed. With every passing day, I was allowing myself to become closer to him, which was probably the worst thing I could do, considering who I was and why I was in the Order at all. A chain was binding us together, and I knew it would need to be broken when the mission concluded. I'd thought I was strong enough to do it._

_I was wrong._


	4. Snarky Zombie Jedi

Chapter Three

Snarky Zombie Jedi

_More years flew by. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remember who and what I really was. My life on Earth, being a soldier, even just being female seemed strange and disconnected, like a dream. Anakin was my reality. Aria was a figment of my imagination._

_Or maybe a nightmare._

_M'ren never forgot me. Every meeting I attended, he was there, watching me. Sometimes he would appear amused. Other times he was thoughtful. Twice he was furious and once he even tried to behead me. Yet at the end of every meeting, he would throw me a smirk before leaving quietly. My flesh would crawl and I'd want to run away to scrub my skin off, made worse when people around me would glare at me jealously. It wasn't like I had asked for the Sith's attention. Even the other Drivers resented me, every one wanting to attract M'ren's attention for themselves. As far as I was concerned, they could have him._

_My life with the Jedi wasn't much better. Obi-wan had become unbearably protective after Cygnus, hardly letting me out of his sight and treating me like a toddler when we were on missions. This led to many confrontations between us as my independence clashed with his protection. Our relationship grew very strained and my non-Jedi side became much more obvious. The Order began to notice and started treating me differently, slowly isolating me. The other Jedi Drivers noticed and warned me to stop giving everything away. One even said that I was single-handedly ensuring the mission's failure._

_I didn't care. I didn't know it then, but I wanted the Jedi to notice what was happening. It was the only way I could think of to save them. I could admit, even if only to myself, that the people of Earth were wrong. The Jedi shouldn't be eliminated, they should be protected. But I wasn't ready to give up everything for the Jedi._

_Not then, at least._

* * *

"Anakin, have you heard a word I've said in the last hour?" Obi-wan asked, his irritated voice cutting through the blonde's musings. The teenager turned towards his master, face blank, while his mind scrambled. Honestly, he hadn't been aware that Obi-wan was speaking at all. His master knew it, too. "What's gotten into you, Anakin? Your mind never seems to be in the moment anymore."

Knowing there was no answer he could give, Anakin just mumbled, "Sorry, Master," and turned away. Testament to the last few years, Obi-wan simply sighed and focused on the ship's controls again. A twinge of regret pecked at the blonde's heart, but he pushed it away. The farther away Obi-wan was emotionally, the easer the pending betrayal would be on both of them. Besides, the blonde was still dealing with M'ren's latest mental attack and the damage that came with it. He usually recovered quickly, but it would take a few more hours before he could pretend to be normal.

With silence restored in the small craft, Anakin began to think about how he and his master had ended up in the ship together. Namely, why the Council had started worrying about the blonde's personality shift. He'd become surly, rude, and confrontational, more so than could be explained by normal teenage rebellious streak. No one could control him, not even Obi-wan. Most of the Council was ready to banish the troublesome blonde to some desolate world where he would never escape. All of them, actually, except for one. Master Yoda.

Three days before, Anakin had been brought before the Council for an 'intervention' meeting. Within seven minutes he'd managed to insult every Jedi in the room twice, four times in the case of Master Windu. He was just about to get kicked out of the room, and likely the temple, when Yoda suddenly spoke up, calmly shocking everyone into silence.

"Good, you are," he said, looking deep into Anakin's eyes. "Feel it, I can. Good, hope, compassion, protection; filled with these feelings, you are. And fear. Fear for us, you do. Fear for what we cannot see. Why so afraid, are you?" And, to the surprise of every Jedi in the room, Anakin said nothing. He didn't insult, he didn't belittle, he didn't mock – and he didn't deny.

Yoda was the one to recommend this mini-vacation thing for Anakin and Obi-wan. He was convinced that the blonde just needed time to sort out his issues and that Obi-wan was the best person to help him. Anakin wasn't so sure himself. He knew what his issues were, and they wouldn't be resolved with some time off and his master's presence. Although, depending on where they were going, maybe he'd be too busy to think about all his problems. Doubtful, but possible.

"Master, where are we going?" he asked, staring out the window at the streaks of light. When he didn't get a reply, he glanced over to find Obi-wan staring at him in surprise. "What?" he asked, utterly confused. "Did you already tell me and I didn't pay attention?"

"No," the older Jedi finally answered slowly. "This is just the first time you've shown an interest in – anything, in the past few years." The blonde frowned and opened his mouth to refute the statement, only to shut it silently a few moments later. That was totally true. He _had _been rather disinterested recently. "We're going to Sangheli," Obi-wan continued, looking back at the controls. "It's a peaceful planet in the Outer Rim. Master Yoda arranged for us to stay at a winter resort." The blonde blinked, bringing a smile to Obi-wan's face. He'd forgotten just how cute his padawan could be when he was confused. "Your love of snow is not a secret, Anakin."

"Suppose not," the blonde admitted, giving a small smile himself and not catching his master's sharp glance towards his upturned lips. Both males had a fleeing thought of how long it had ben since they'd seen the other one smile. "I guess I was a little snow crazy when I was younger." Okay, he'd been very snow crazy. And not just when he was younger. Not his fault.

Chuckling at the understatement, Obi-wan continued with his work and didn't notice that his padawan was staring at him. The blonde was trying, and failing, to remember when he had last taken the time to really look at his master. He couldn't remember Obi-wan looking so tan and fit and young and, "Did you get your hair cut?"

_That _got him a strange look. "Not recently, no. This is the same style I've had for the past two years." Yeah, Anakin had been out of it recently.

While the blonde puzzled over his four year apathy and wondered what else he'd missed, Obi-wan watched him out of the corner of his eye with cautious hope. Ever since the Dark attack four years ago, he'd thought his young padawan was lost to the Jedi. Even though the physical wounds had healed, it had become clear that the mental wounds were much more severe than they had thought. Those bright blue eyes had become dull, robbing Obi-wan of something he hadn't known he would miss. For years, he and other Jedi had tried to break Anakin free of whatever Darkness had hold of him. Nothing worked. Sometimes it would look like progress was being made, but it would all vanish in a few days. The blonde just became more and more volatile and stubborn. Over time, the dreaded yellow hue of the Sith had started creeping into his padawan's eyes. The blonde had been losing himself and wasn't even aware of it, leaving Obi-wan to mourn in silence.

But now, for whatever reason, Anakin was aware. He was conversing, asking questions, showing interest in what was around him. His eyes were clear, even if they were still a little yellowish. This was the first sign that the young man Obi-wan knew, loved, and missed was coming back.

Please, Force, let him come back.

* * *

_The following week was the best of my life. Considering Yoda was the head of the Jedi Council, I'd been expecting a monkish monastery, regardless of Obi-wan calling it a winter resort. In reality, we got to stay in a winter wonderland! There was skiing, natural hot springs, sleigh rides, an ice maze, snow forts for snowball battles, even outdoor ice skating. I was in heaven!_

_Obi-wan – not so much. He never did like snow as much as I did. Honestly, I'd expected him to stay in the hotel for most of the vacation, maybe joining me on occasion for the tamer activities. Instead, he was always with me, doing whatever I wanted to do that day. It took me a couple days to realize why he was staying so close. It wasn't that he was being protective, like I'd originally thought, but rather that he was trying to have fun with his padawan because he expected me to revert to snarky zombie mode after the vacation._

_I couldn't blame him for thinking that. It wasn't like I had a very good history when it came to my behavior. The problem was, I didn't want to go back to being a snarky zombie. My official reason was that the last four years were just a blur in my mind, devoid of details or many events. I couldn't recall any missions or battles, couldn't remember classes I had taken in the temple or reports I'd made on the moon. Such a large gap in my mind was completely unacceptable to my soldier training._

_The unofficial reason was that I missed my Jedi friends. During the vacation I decided to comm Adam, and the first five minutes of the call consisted of me trying to convince him that I was coherent again. The next ten minutes were Adam exclaiming how happy he was that his friend was finally back. That made me feel bad enough, but once I realized that Obi-wan was trying to have good memories with me because he expected to lose me again, the guilt was almost unbearable._

_So then, goal: do not become snarky zombie again. Simple enough. Plan: – this is where things got complicated. I could come clean about the mission. I wouldn't of course, but I could. Then again, M'ren wasn't something I'd agreed to when I accepted the mission at the beginning. Sith were never mentioned in the briefing packet. Maybe I could use that to my advantage._

_The week was coming to a close and my time was running out. My officers had always complained that I would put off a decision until the very last second. Why break tradition? So I tried to simply enjoy the vacation. I did every event offered, repeating my favorites when time allowed me to. One day I captured a holo-image of Obi-wan right after a tree had dumped a load of snow on him, turning him into a walking snowman. He'd proceeded to chase me for over an hour, threatening to give me to master Bant if I didn't surrender the image while I just laughed like a hyena. The only reason I got out of the chase was because I hadn't paid attention to where I was going and fell through the ice on the lake, forcing Obi-wan to rescue me. That water was COLD!_

_Eventually, our last day came, along with my decision. M'ren had attacked me the night, revenge for my sudden disappearance with the unexpected vacation. I'd become his punching bag because I was closer to the Jedi than any other Driver. To a Sith mind, that was the only reason needed to attack me whenever he wanted. To my mind, it meant I owed him no loyalty._

* * *

"That was an epic face plant," Anakin chuckled, peeling his coat off so that it could drip dry. His master just glared at him from somewhere behind the snow. "What? It was. You had wide open snow and still managed to trip over your own skies."

"I never claimed to be a good skier," Obi-wan grumbled, tugging his own gear off. "You're the one who took to snow like a fish takes to water." Despite his complaints, Obi-wan was still happy. This week had brought back the old Anakin. The one that laughed and smiled and teased and joked. The one that would pull a prank and then revert to puppy-eyes if he got caught. It was a sight most Jedi had thought was lost after Cygnus.

But this was their last day on Sangheli, and Obi-wan was worried. No matter how good the week had been, it could all go away so easily. The signs were already present. All day, Anakin had been withdrawn. He'd seemed distracted at times, staring into space for no reason. Even now, despite his jokes, he was detached. Regretfully, Obi-wan was preparing himself to lose his padawan once more because he still had no idea how to help him.

"Master?" The word was so quiet, it was almost missed. Surprised, Obi-wan turned towards the blonde to find the teen sitting on his bed, gaze focused downwards. "At the research station on Cygnus – there was a Sith there." The coat that had been in Obi-wan's hands fell from nerveless fingers as dread gripped his heart. He'd thought, as all Jedi did, that a Sith had been present, but had hoped otherwise. They'd never thought the blonde would admit it.

But the teenager wasn't done. "I don't remember the physical wounds. Don't remember getting them, I mean. He attacked my mind; it felt like he was tearing my mind from my body. It was – scary." Understatement, but he was allowed some of those.

Taking a deep breath, Anakin had a moment of panic. He was taking a _huge _risk, but he was tired of living in fear. Tired of M'ren lording over him like he owned the blonde. Tired of the distance between him and Obi-wan, even if it was for the better in the long run. He couldn't explain everything. He didn't want to and his soldier training wouldn't allow it anyway. But something had to change.

"I didn't think he did a lot of damage at first," he continued, refusing to look up. "But sometimes, when I sleep, the Sith comes back. He never hurts me physically, though mentally is a different matter entirely. But mostly, he just watches. It's stressful, and tiring, but I thought I had it under control. It always got better when I left the temple, like he lost track of me and had to find me again. That's why I would start acting better when we were sent out. In the end he always finds me, but I thought those breaks were enough to control myself. However, considering I can barely remember the last four years, I guess I was wrong." Gathering his courage, he looked up to meet Obi-wan's gaze. "I don't want to fight alone anymore, even if I could. Please, help me."

The blonde braced himself for rejection. There were many ways Obi-wan could react, very few good. He could be angry with Anakin for hiding the Sith involvement. He could revert to mother hen mode, suffocating his padawan with his protectiveness. He could shun the boy for various and assorted reasons. He could help, but never trust the teen again. So many possibilities, but Anakin wasn't expecting to be pulled into a warm hug and enveloped in his master's love through the Force.

"Thank you for telling me," Obi-wan whispered, shocking Anakin to the core. "I know how hard that must have been. I'm not sure how, yet, but I swear we'll find a way to shield your mind from the Sith." Pulling back slightly, he made sure to catch the blonde's gaze. "You're never alone, Anakin. I'll always be here to help, support, guide, and protect you. Never doubt that. I'm _always _here for you." Later, Anakin would deny having cried, but Obi-wan would never forget it. Because as the tears fell, the yellow tint in his padawan's eyes faded away forever.

"Thank you, Master."

* * *

She was ready for the strike this time. After four years, she knew M'ren better than most people would ever want to. He would know what she had told Obi-wan, and he would be furious. She didn't care. By the time the lightsaber had struck the sync station, she was halfway across the room, balanced on an unoccupied bed. Hateful yellow eyes met hers, but paused at her challenging smirk, forcing the Sith to take a second look. This wasn't the scared soldier he was accustomed to. This was a confidant Jedi and he would need to tread carefully.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked, voice quiet as though she could disturb the other Drivers that were in their sync tubes. "Obi-wan knows about you now. Right now, he can't find you, but if you harm me? How long do you think that will last? If he finds you, he'll find everything here. The entire mission will fail. Is that what you want?" For a few tense seconds, they remained in a standoff, an event that was becoming rather commonplace for them. Finally, M'ren collapsed his blade with a snarl.

"I won't forget this," he growled, eyes nearly glowing in anger. Aria just smiled, standing easily.

"You said I'd either be a powerful ally or a worthy opponent," she reminded him, wondering what was possessing her to tease a pissed off Sith. "I'm just starting to choose which role I want. After all, terrified slave was not an option." Snorting in disgust, M'ren turned to stomp away. However, he did pause at the threshold.

"You are a menace," he said tightly, not looking back as his fist clenched around his saber hilt in a death grip. "An annoyance; an unpredictable risk. I will enjoy destroying you when the time comes. However," he turned to face her again, cruel smirk back in place, "you _are _amusing. Such a little pawn, managing to change the rules of the game. I thought the General was the person to watch for treachery, while you manage to pull off a coup right under my nose. Congratulations. It will not happen again." With his piece spoken, the Sith left.

Aria knew there would be hell to pay for what she'd done. The General would hear of her stunt and blow a fuse. She would face anger from the other Drivers because the Jedi would increase security. Even the other Jedi would be upset that she had kept quiet about a Sith presence. But for the first time since the mission began, she had openly chosen a side. She wasn't stuck in the middle anymore, and that was worth any amount of dislike she received.

* * *

_Things did change after that. The General almost pulled me from the mission, threatening to have me executed for treason, but when I didn't re-sync with Anakin the Jedi went on alert. To prevent the discovery of the mission, I was allowed to return. Still upset, the General tried to restrict my movements as the Chancellor, but when the Order saw the interest he had in me, they did what Jedi are actually very proficient at. They hid me from him. He never knew where I was and, because the Jedi now knew that sleep and contact with the Sith were connected for me, I couldn't report in as often or for as long. I wasn't bothered by the loss._

_On the other side of my life, things were starting to look up, which was a pleasant surprise. Obi-wan and I were as close as we had ever been. Closer, perhaps. We knew we could trust each other, and that we would support one another. Obi-wan helped me learn to shield my mind, guarding it against the Dark surges that M'ren was still sending me, trying to keep me off balance. With his help, my shields held, freeing me from the constant influx of Darkness and relieving a lot of tension I hadn't even known I'd had. This led to great improvements in my attitude and my interactions with the other Jedi flourished. I rebuilt my old friendships, especially with Adam. He was ecstatic over my recovery and made it very clear that he would never let me fall so far again. For some reason, I never doubted him._

_The mission was coming to an end. Every Driver knew it. Another four, five years and things would be brought to a close. Despite everything, I still planned to complete the mission. I was just starting to question which side of the line I would be on when the battle began._


	5. Drawing the Lines

Chapter Four

Drawing the lines

_How much can a life change in four years? Going off my life so far, I'd say a lot, but the last four years went beyond 'a lot'. Between the Jedi hiding Anakin from the Chancellor, M'ren trying to kill me every chance he got, and the General trying to sabotage me when I synced with Anakin, my life had become a very big game of cat vs. mouse. And that was just the first two years. The next two were when all hell broke loose._

_When Amadala's life was threatened and I was assigned to protect her while Obi-wan tracked down her assassin, I wasn't overly concerned. Learning that the Chancellor had recommended me for the task, however, worried me quite a bit. And then Obi-wan just had to go and get himself captured. I was (mildly) touched when Amadala insisted on going to rescue my master. I would have been more appreciative if she hadn't forced me to disobey my orders. Then came Geonosis. The only thing that went right on that damn planet was saving Obi-wan, and even that didn't go as planned. Everything else blew up spectacularly in our faces. Dooku, the clones, hundreds of Jedi dead (though some were Drivers so I didn't mourn that loss too much), and giving the war a kickstart was all accomplished in the span of two hours._

_And of course, there's my arm. Or maybe it would be better to say, there _was_ my arm. I was extremely pissed off to realize that I had lost an arm to the sub-par Dooku while M'ren had never managed to touch me. At least, not since I'd learned that he even existed. However, the situation of my missing arm took a backseat when I woke up a week later, naked, in a bed with Amadala, who was also naked. That was certainly not something I had planned/wanted._

_After freaking out, silently, I contacted Obi-wan. He had me send him a blood sample and found that I had somehow ingested a drug that made me highly susceptible to suggestions. Once Amadala woke up she was tested as well, and got the same result. As she was not Force sensitive, it took longer to purge the drug from her system then mine, but once it was done, she was as horrified as I was. A little more digging revealed that we were married, no doubt the General's latest attempt to sabotage my work with the Order._

_Luckily, getting married while under the influence of forced drugging was not a crime worthy of expulsion to the Order. The marriage could not be touched, as the wedding had been on Naboo and the planet was notorious for its airtight marriage ceremonies, but neither the Order nor the Naboo royal court held Amadala and I accountable for what had occurred. However, to keep the General's suspicions at bay, Amadala and I acted like we were in love and that it was our roles in the war process that kept us reluctantly apart._

_It wasn't hard, considering how rapidly the war expanded after Geonosis. Once the Order realized how well I worked with soldiers and armies, I was promoted to Jedi General and placed in command of several clone battalions, including the one led by my favorite clone, Cody. With the promotion to General came the promotion to Knighthood, but to the shock of the entire Order, I declined. My reason was that I was still vulnerable to the Sith and that the bond with Obi-wan was the only thing keeping me grounded. Not sure how the Jedi bought that, but they did. I was still allowed to work independently of Obi-wan as the war demanded, but having the connection was enough._

_My padawan status had no effect on my work with the military. They didn't care that I wasn't considered a Knight, they only cared that I could get the job done. Some of the military officials that worked with the Jedi were concerned when they learned I had only one whole arm, but were reassured once I received my prosthetic._

_Thank the Force for Obi-wan during that time. He helped me through every stage of my recovery, patiently coaxing me through the physical therapy. For the most part, it went well. We had a few issues when I would switch between Aria and Anakin, as I struggled to keep their physical abilities separate in my mind and didn't always succeed. Habits I was trying to develop in Anakin were being destroyed by Aria and having Aria's usual range of abilities sometimes caused me to forget Anakin's restrictions. So one day, I fixed the problem. Got in a lot of trouble for it, too._

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Caelum growled as he changed the bandage for the umpteenth time. "_Were_ you thinking? The Jedi must have ruined your mind!"

"I disagree," Aria chuckled, hiding her pain at the rough handling. "I actually was thinking things through. It was difficult and troublesome to go from two arms to one and a half. This is no different then when you guys de-aged me." Okay, so stealing M'ren's lightsaber and cutting off her own arm was a little extreme. The only reason M'ren hadn't killed her yet was that he was still trying to figure out how she had stolen the saber in the first place. She wasn't about to tell him.

Huffing in frustration, Caelum rolled away to get his scanner. As frustrated as he was, he had to admit that she was right. Her body had taken much more damage from the de-aging than it had when she'd lost her arm. It was also obvious that she knew how to wield the saber. Ignoring the fact that half of her arm was gone, there was very little damage. A clean cut that was instantly cauterized and infection burned out was all she had. She was also caring for it well, though that could be attributed to practice.

Truthfully, most of his anger came from the simple fact that he was worried about Aria. After twelve years together, they were pretty close friends, or at least he thought so. Watching the soldier seriously injure herself was not something he enjoyed doing. That wasn't even taking into consideration the fact that he knew about her shifting loyalty. When it came down to who he would believe about the Jedi, Aria or the General, he'd choose Aria every time, so he wasn't going to report her change in allegiance. That didn't stop him from worrying. She was getting more and more obvious about the side she'd chosen and the General couldn't possibly be stupid enough to not notice.

After scanning the stub of Aria's arm and receiving nothing but good reports, Caelum rewrapped the wound, taking care to be gentler this time. The blonde sat quietly through the process, watching everything around her. Despite his earlier words, Caelum knew that being a Jedi was actually the best thing to happen to the young soldier. His granny had always said that, somehow, every person would find where they belonged in the universe. Aria belonged with the Jedi, and though she'd joined the Order in a roundabout way, she was no less worthy of her position.

"You're pushing your luck, I hop you know," Caelum finally muttered, finishing with the wrapping and securing the bandage with a piece of super tape, much like the super glue of ancient Earth. "I also hope you know that I'm on your side, not the General's."

Giving one of her rare genuine smiles, Aria jumped off the medical table, perfectly comfortable with her handicap. "Thanks, I'll remember the second," she said, shrugging into her coat for the walk back to the lab. The environmental controls were on the fritz, making the whole facility rather chilly. "But in my experience, there's no such thing as luck." She suddenly frowned, although her eyes twinkled with subdued laughter. "Wonderful. I open my mouth and Obi-wan pops out. I'm never going to live this down." Laughing, Caelum waved her away to re-sync with Anakin, allowing him to clean up the medical bay. Only once she was gone did he slump in his chair. The odds of them both surviving the next few years were low, but if anyone could pull it off, it was Aria. He just had to believe in her.

* * *

_I wish I had known how much Caelum was depending on me back then. Maybe I wouldn't have been so reckless._

* * *

Anakin was by no means a morning person. Never had been, never would be. Having the ability to wake at any time and being able to function was strictly because of soldier training and he hated it was a passion. So waking up to find Adam hovering just above his nose deserved only one response. "Gah!" he yelled, flailing around and managing to punch Adam in the face before falling off the bed. For a second everything was still in the room until, "Adam, do I need to kill you?"

"I think you just did," the Twi'lek groaned, gingerly holding his nose. "By the way, good morning." Grumbling about how his anti-morning habits should become general warning for his partners, the blonde peeled himself off the floor. Out of habit, he checked his prosthetic arm for damage. It was fine of course, but he still worried. A flesh and blood arm would report damage the moment it happened, but a metal arm had to be inspected. It was a good thing the Order had access to the best medics, engineers, and materials to be found in the known universe. If they didn't, Anakin would have been temple bound for a very long time.

Prodding the still whining Twi'lek out of his way, the blonde Jedi quickly dressed for the day. He and Adam had been sent to Kamino as the Jedi representatives with the Republic envoy that had come in order to request more clones. Ever since 'coming clean' about his encounter with the Sith, Anakin had become an unofficial expert on sensing the Dark side of the Force, which was why he was sent to Kamino. The Jedi were still searching for the Sith Lord that had been causing so many problems, leaving the blonde frustrated as they looked in all the wrong places. However, no Jedi doubted that the clone troops were connected to the Sith in some way. It was one of the few things they got right, so Anakin wasn't too upset about coming to Kamino.

"R2, where are my formal robes?" the blonde asked, digging through his bag. The astrodroid beeped at him, rolling over to the corner of the room and dragging the robes out from under a bag. Wincing, the padawan took the fabric and started shaking it out. "Thanks, I think." He still wasn't too sure about having the droid as a partner, but chose not to question it. Amadala had insisted on sending the R2 unit to her husband, though she didn't call him that (thank the Force), since he "needed someone to look after him." Considering Obi-wan had basically laughed himself sick when the message had come in, there had been no one to argue on Anakin's behalf that he did not need a droid babysitter. Nevertheless, the little droid had proved useful and was a pretty good friend. It was also the only semi-sentient thing that the blonde could tell all his secrets to and not have to worry about anyone finding out.

Finally in his more formal work clothes, and damn the Republic officials for insisting that he be completely professional at all times while Adam could do whatever he wanted, Anakin left the room to speed down the hall. One of the Kaminoans had agreed to give him a tour of the facility and he did _not _want to be late. Punctuality was paramount in this species; understandable when one considered what they did for a living. So despite his usual laid back nature, the blonde was more than willing to hurry for this meeting. Doubly so when he reached the rendezvous point to find the Prime Minister, Lama Su, waiting for him. But before he could greet the Kaminoan properly, the tall alien bowed to him. "Greetings, Driver."

...well shit.

"You know what I am?" Anakin hissed in the Earthian tongue, hoping the Prime Minister would understand, while also hoping he wouldn't. If the nod was any indication, he did. "How?"

"Any artist would recognize a masterpiece they created, would they not?" was the answer, spoken in the same tongue that Anakin had grown up with as a child. It made sense, now that Anakin was forced to think about it. The Anakin body was just a mutated clone of Aria, so it was no wonder the Kaminoans, master cloners and all, had something to do with it and the other avatars. "Now, would you like to begin the tour?" With few other options, Anakin forced a weak smile and bowed, following the cloner out of the hall. They made their way through the facility, the blonde getting the same spiel that Obi-wan had received. At least, until the end of the tour. Then things got switched up a little. "Do you require a new body to replace this damaged version?" Lama Su asked in Earthian.

"No, thank you," the Jedi answered tersely. "The Jedi would ask unwanted questions if I were to suddenly regain my arm. I would like to ask you a question of my own though, if I may?" He waited for the nod before continuing. "How did Kamino start working with Earth? We aren't exactly neighbors."

"We were referred to Earth by the Sith Empire, of course," the Minister answered nonchalantly, not noticing Anakin's shocked expression. "The Sith have long been using our services and thought the Earth could benefit from our skills. We first made contact shortly after an event that involved a device called the Ultimate Weapon, and cloned the humans on the moon by their request, giving them the ability to continue to clone themselves for as long as needed, but were not contacted again until this mission was set to begin."

After picking his jaw up off the ground, Anakin had to ask, "So the Sith have a history with Earth?" That was an acceptable question after all. Every Driver had been shocked by M'ren's appearance, proving that Sith weren't exactly known about or expected on Earth. It wasn't so strange to wonder how Earth and the Sith Empire had become friends.

"But of course," the Prime Minister replied, vaguely surprised by the question. "Earth is an ancient Sith home world. The world nearly oozes the Dark side of the Force, proven by how the planet has never known peace. It has produced several famous and powerful Sith over the millennia. Surely you learned this at the Academy."

Trying to still his spinning mind, and failing miserably, Anakin barely managed to latch on to one word. "Academy?"

"The Sith Academy, of course. Your Earth officials specified that all cloned husks were to be Force sensitive, but we cannot control _how _Force sensitive the body will be. It can only reflect the Driver's natural Force connection, and possibly magnify it a little. The reason it was so difficult to create your husk was that you were already strong in the Force and the bodies could not stand the power. In the end we had to create a clone with lower Force sensitivity than you actually possess. We had assumed your strength was the result of being trained at the Sith Academy."

Cue the crickets of awkward silence.

"Thank you for the tour, Prime Minister," Anakin said with a bow, managing to not sound stiff at all. "However, I fear that I am fatigued and must rest. If I may be excused?" Understanding what was meant, Lama Su merely nodded and allowed the blonde to leave. Moving quickly, the young Jedi hurried back to his room, hoping Adam would not be present so that he wouldn't face any questions about why he was going to bed so early. He had a Sith to chew out.

* * *

_Earth was a Sith home world?! I was naturally Force sensitive?! Was no one going to tell me anything about the truth of this mission?! I'd decided that enough was enough. M'ren had once called me a pawn; it was time to show him that pawns can attack too._

* * *

The training room doors slid shut with a hiss, managing to sound oddly ominous. It caught the attention of everyone in the room, but Aria only had eyes for the Sith. "Out," she growled, and everyone scrambled to obey. Soon, it was just the Sith and the Driver. "So, how long of a battle must I survive to get some answers from you?"

"Depends on the question," M'ren sneered, glaring at her crippled arm. "I'm in a generous mood at the moment, so I'll answer one question, if you can meet the price I demand for it. Speak now."

Quickly sorting through the mass of questions in her mind, Aria chose what she thoughts was the most important. Then, taking Sith arrogance into account, she altered the wording before asking, "When were you going to tell the Drivers that Earth is a Sith home world and that we are all Force sensitive?"

M'ren scoffed, eyes narrowed in disdain, but there was a flash of surprise in them. He hadn't expected her to find out. "You are honestly wasting my time with such a pathetic question?"

"Not really," the blonde replied, putting her hand on her hip and shifting her weight so she appeared relaxed. He was always easier to beat if he was angry, so it was time to fan the flames a bit. "I just wanted to know if it was true or not. If it wasn't true, you would have asked where I had heard such lies, so it must be true. Thanks for your help."

"You impudent, little-."

"Yeah, yeah, love you too." Taking a risk, she turned her back on the enraged Sith and took a step away. She'd never tried to use the Force outside of Anakin's body, never thought she could, but she also had faith in everything she'd learned over the last twelve years. Sure enough, she could feel the strike come before it came and ducked, allowing M'ren's lightsaber to slice right over her. Before the Sith could recover, Aria Force pushed him across the room, slamming him into the wall. Covering her own surprise, as she had not meant to shove that hard, she turned to glare at the fallen Sith. "Did you manage to forget that I've been training as a Jedi for the last twelve years? I feel insulted." She ignored the warning spark in his eyes, needing to get him madder. The angrier he got, the easier the fight, and she needed all the help she could get.

"So you admit that you are a Jedi!" M'ren snarled, eyes nearly glowing gold in his rage. "You admit that you are the enemy!"

"What do you think?!" Aria yelled back, venting some of her own anger. "You always considered yourself to be so superior to me or any other human from Earth. So tell me! What do you think?!"

Silence fell over the room, dense and smothering. For a dangerous moment, the situation could have exploded quite spectacularly. Then M'ren shifted away from her. "I think that anyone sympathetic towards the Jedi should be careful," he answered, threat dripping from his words. "After all, even if the person could defend himself, or herself, there is no way he or she could protect everyone. Someone like a scientist, or maybe a cripple, would be much more vulnerable."

Eyes narrow in anger, Aria tried to reign her fury in. The Jedi's trump card against the Sith was that the Jedi controlled their emotions, while a Sith was controlled _by _their emotions. She wasn't strong enough in her Jedi training to trust her control, so she reluctantly stepped back herself. Despite wanting to destroy M'ren for threatening Caelum, she knew she could not. "Understood," she replied, forcing a sharp smile onto her face. "If I meet any Jedi sympathizers, I'll be sure to pass the message along."

"Make sure you do," the Sith warned before stalking out of the room. Only once she was sure that he was gone did the blonde let out a frustrated sigh, releasing her anger into the Force. It was good to know that he was hesitant to fight her now, but it was clear she couldn't verbally engage him either. Not yet, at least. Glancing down at her hand, she slowly uncurled her fist and watched as the blood dripped from the gouges created by her finger nails. She'd need to get it treated before she re-synced with Anakin.

But first, she took a moment to let the quiet of the room sink into her. Obi-wan had once said that the quiet was Anakin's greatest tool, and his greatest warning. Quiet meant that he was thinking. Quiet meant that he was planning. Quiet meant that he was calm.

Quiet meant that he was dangerous.

* * *

_After getting my hand treated, I returned to Anakin. I knew M'ren would be watching me closer than ever, if such a thing was possible. Moving about would be much more dangerous, but that did not absolve me of my responsibility to try to save the Jedi. I just needed to be sneakier. It was time to see just how Sith like this Jedi could be without crossing the line._

* * *

"Ready to get off this water world?" Adam asked with a smile, contrasting sharply with his cautious eyes. He'd observed Anakin giving warning signs of returning to snarky zombie mode the last few days, and had become a bit worried. Actually, it had started right after the tour of the cloning facilities, though the Prime Minister insisted that the blonde hadn't been acting strange during the tour. However, the blonde human seemed to be doing better that day. Maybe he just needed to get off the planet.

"More than you know," Anakin replied with a grin that was a shade too dark. "I have one last thing to do, but then we can go." Clapping Adam on the shoulder, the blonde's dark grin became a true smile. "I know I've worried you the last few days. I'm sorry. I was struggling, but I have a plan now. Thanks for the support though. It helped."

"Anytime," Adam sighed in relief, giving Anakin a tight hug. "We're friends, right?"

"Always." Squeezing Adam tight, the blonde let go and left to finish his task. However, before he'd gone to far, he turned back to wave at his friend. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, come find me, okay?"

"Of course," the Twi'lek laughed, waving back. "I need to even up the game score anyway." Smirking at the inside joke, Anakin shook his head. It had become tradition for the two padawans to play hide-and-seek whenever they were on the same planet, considering how the war often kept them apart for long periods of time. So far, Anakin had won more games because he was the better tracker. Maybe one day he'd get the chance to explain that his skill had come from soldier training. Doubtful, but he could hope.

When Anakin finally reached the rendezvous point, Lama Su was already waiting for him. "Prime Minister, good morning. Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice."

"Anything for such a powerful Sith," the Kaminoan answered, bluntly honest, but he must have picked up a glint in Anakin's gaze because he continued, "How may I serve you, Master Jedi?"

Taking a deep breath, Anakin wondered for a final second if this was a good idea. The problem with M'ren was that he was a Sith. The good thing about M'ren was that he was a Sith. He was a dangerous person, but only if _he _was crossed. Challenge him and Caelum would suffer, but challenge the General and M'ren would likely be content to play out the change. At least, he had been that way so far.

"I want you to retrain all the clones so that my orders supersede all others," the blonde said firmly, trying to act like there was no doubt he would be obeyed. "The General has been judged unstable in the military aspects of this mission and I am to take command. As such, control over all future and current clone troops must be transferred to me." For a long moment, the future of the entire mission hung in a tense balance. There were so many things that could go wrong, but the blonde was trying to be optimistic. Granted, he wasn't always the best at it, but he was trying.

"Of course, Master Jedi," Lama Su said at last, giving a tiny bow. "Full transfer of command will be completed by the end of the week." Giving a slight smile, Anakin bowed in response before turning to leave. Adam would no doubt be waiting for him by the transport and he didn't want to leave the Twi'lek in the rain any longer than necessary. It made his friend act very strangely. Last time, the green skinned Twi'lek had insisted that he was a flower and couldn't come inside because there was no soil for his roots. With everything so tense and uncertain, the last thing the blonde wanted to do was drag a full grown Twi'lek onto a ship as he yelled that he was a flower.

At least things were going to change now. This mission would end differently than the General had planned, though the outcome was still up in the air. Anakin would just have to wait it out, moving carefully. But he was finally doing something. That made the risk worth it.

* * *

_As promised, I had full command over all clones in less than a week. The General could no longer use them against the Jedi, and the best part was that he was not informed of this shift. Lama Su thought him unstable and M'ren found my move to be amusing, for some strange reason. Neither mentioned what I had done._

_Among the Jedi, other changes started occurring. Now that I had chosen my side for good, I was less concerned with keeping the mission a secret and more concerned with saving the Order. My soldier training and M'ren prevented me from flat out telling the Jedi the truth, but I had started working with Yoda to protect the Order. Yoda, Force bless him, never questioned me. Even when I requested he keep our activities and plans from certain Jedi, the remaining Drivers, he would just nod in his stately way and agree. He trusted me, which was a strange feeling. Obi-wan and Caelum were the only people to ever trust me before._

_Together, Yoda and I created evacuation plans, built and stocked safe houses, designed codes, and produced several practical plans of action to address almost any scenario that the Order might face. Everything was going so well, I should have known that something was going to go wrong._

_Caelum was attacked. Not by M'ren himself, but on his orders. The Sith didn't know exactly what I was planning, but he knew I was. The attack was a warning. Caelum survived, but he was badly scarred, almost losing his ability to speak. With Caelum's life on the line, I pulled myself out of the Jedi planning. Again, Yoda did not question my decision but accepted it with his usual grace. Thank the Force for that too. I would have hated having to lie to him again._

_No plotting, no planning, nothing to do but wait for the mission to end. Then I would leave the temple, leave Anakin's body for the last time, and return to Earth as a hero. That was my future, despite how grim it sounded. But then I saw the holo-image. The one that I had taken of Obi-wan on Sangheli. The one he'd titled, 'The day I began to hope again.' That was when I knew I couldn't stand by and hope for the best. These were my people, my friends, my master. I would fight for them, defend them, and if needed, I would die for them._

_If I can only make it in time._


	6. The Death of a Traitor

Chapter Five

The Death of a Traitor

_Thirteen years, nine months, one week, five days. That's how long I've been on this mission. More than enough time to switch sides, obviously, but was it enough to hold my own against a Sith? Because there was no way M'ren was going to sit this confrontation out, even if he didn't suspect that I would betray Earth. The General and his political group of Drivers were of little threat. They had designed a room within the Senate tower that was equipped with a special type of force field that they planned to use to trap the Jedi Council before the attack on the temple. I know because I helped them install and test the thing. However, I'd also added a little trap. Using the right amount of Force, I could invert the shield, freeing the Jedi and trapping the Drivers. M'ren would have to be dealt with before that because he'd no doubt catch on to my trick and use it against me, but once he was dead I wasn't too concerned. It was the killing him part that had me worried._

_I knew Cody would take care of the temple if I failed. He would not rest until every Jedi had been evacuated and would defend those evacuees with his life. In the event of my death, command of the clones would transfer to the Jedi Council as a whole, ensuring that Earth would never be able to use them. Somehow, someway, the General's mission would fail. The Jedi Order would survive this attack and continue on._

_The question was, would I?_

* * *

"You won't get away with this," Obi-wan warned the smirking Chancellor, subtly testing the shield that was keeping the Council trapped. Around him, he could feel the other Masters doing the same, though none looked to be at all concerned with what was happening. "The Order will stop you, even if we fall."

"I think not," Palpatine chuckled, soaking in the moment. So many years of plotting and planning, so many setbacks conquered, all for this moment. He wanted to savor it all. "You see, Master Jedi, this day will not just see the destruction of your pathetic Jedi Council. No, it will see the end of the entire Jedi Order."

"Explain yourself," Windu ordered, seemingly as calm and poised as ever. The Jedi knew differently. There was turmoil storming with him, the same turmoil that dwelled within them all. None of them had seen this attack coming and couldn't figure out how to escape. The shields had withstood their strongest attacks, leaving them trapped and cutoff, unable to help the temple in any way.

"I thought it was obvious," the Chancellor mocked in pleasure, smirking as his fellow Drivers laughed. "We are not here for so petty a goal as to only kill the Jedi leaders. Such an end is too small for our might and grandeur. We came to wipe the entire Order from existence. Even as we speak, my troops are marching on your precious temple while the clones have begun exterminating the vermin within. Why, look," he gestured towards the large windows that overlooked the city with an evil grin. "You can see the smoke beginning to rise from here." None of the Council members looked. They had felt the Force react to the fear of the Jedi within the temple for nearly an hour now, although it wasn't the overreaching terror they would have expected from an attack. The fear was more controlled and was nearly overpowered by a sense of determination. It seemed as though the Chancellor was at least slightly mistaken.

"You there," one man said, stepping away from the crowd that stood behind Palpatine. The Council had picked him out right away, sensing the Dark side of the Force swirling around him. For some, he was the first true Sith they had ever seen before. With a smirk, the man pointed directly at Obi-wan, yellow eyes narrow in thought. "Are you Obi-something or other? The Jedi that Anakin brat is so loyal to?" Obi-wan's blood ran cold at the mention of his padawan. Anakin wasn't a part of all this – was he? Then the Sith grinned, distracting the Jedi from his sudden fear. "You must be him. Who else would react so strongly to the idiot's name?"

"Lord M'ren, why does it matter?" Palpatine asked pompously. He quickly shrunk away, though, when the Sith gave him a sharp look. It was clear who held the true power. "I meant no disrespect, my lord, please forgive my slip of the tongue. I only meant that they will all die so what does it matter who they are?"

"It does not," M'ren drawled, turning away from the Chancellor once more as he started circling the captured Jedi. Obi-wan moved with him, unsure if the Sith could come in through the shield despite the Jedi being unable to move out. "However, that blonde nuisance has caused me a lot of problems over the years. This death is a – personal revenge." Smirking cruelly, the Sith drew his saber as he zeroed in on Obi-wan. "Don't worry, Jedi. Once I'm done with you, I'll finish what I started on Cygnus." The Jedi's eyes narrowed in return as the pieces started falling in place in his mind. The attack on Anakin, the Darkness he'd sensed, the blonde's shift in personality, the Sith that had haunted his padawan's sleep for years. It was all the work of this man.

"Starting to figure it out?" M'ren sneered. "You should be proud. Every other spy we placed in your pathetic Order remained sheep-like, content to bleat your secrets when asked. But your precious Anakin didn't. He took your side, defending you to the best of his ability. Even I must give him credit for the effort he put in to sabotaging this mission. But now here you are, alone, proving that the boy wasn't good enough. I'll enjoy the look on his face as I tell him that I was the one to kill his beloved master. Then, I'll cut out his heart to ensure that the Order dies with him. How pitiful that the last of your kind will be a spy." He coiled, about to strike while the Jedi was still frozen in shock, but suddenly his lightsaber was violently yanked from his hands...

...and landed firmly in Anakin's. "That's twice, M'ren."

"Agent Sky!" the Chancellor screamed, nearly covered over by the Sith's roar of outrage and the surprised yell from the Council members. "What are you doing here?! You were to leave with the other Drivers!"

"I would think it is obvious, sir," the blonde replied tersely as he wiped some blood away from a small cut on his forehead. Next time he rode a speeder, he'd remember to put the stupid helmet on. With a tight smile, he kept his gaze locked on M'ren, knowing that any danger he would face would come from the irate Sith. No one else would dare come close for fear that they would get caught in the conflict. "I'm defending my master and the Jedi Council. Don't blame me if you never noticed my shift in loyalties. It's not like I made an extreme effort to hide them from you." Shrugging out of his robe, the young Jedi settled into a defensive stance, tossing the red blade back to it's furious owner. "You knew this day would come, M'ren," he said quietly, blocking everything else out. "Most worthy opponent, right?"

"Something like that," the Sith growled, even as a smirk bloomed across his face. He could never turn down an interesting battle. "Pity you didn't choose the other option. You could have been great."

"But never greater than you," the padawan countered. "Besides, I'm selfish enough to want to be happy with my life choices. Living as your slave or pet wouldn't have made me happy."

"And dying for the Jedi will?" M'ren challenged, only to be surprised when the blonde smiled. It wasn't a cruel smile, or a dark one. It wasn't challenging or gloating and chiding. It was an honest, happy smile.

"Yes." The one word echoed with such sincerity that no one could doubt him. This was not a decision made on a whim. Anakin had finally made his choice and was at peace with it. "Enough stalling, M'ren," he said, drawing his own saber and igniting it. "Let's finish this morbid dance of ours. Last man standing wins." With a snarl of agreement, the Sith surged forward to meet him. Both were ready for everything to end.

**Lunge. Parry. Strike. Dodge. Strike. Counter-strike. Jump!**

The battle was so swift, the viewers could hardly keep track of the combatants. If one were to blink, they would miss half the battle. All around the room, the air nearly crackled with the Force as it surged around. Neither opponent was holding anything back, knowing that everything would be settled with this fight. There was no reason to conserve energy or refrain from a technique. After that day, there would be no more battles.

**Strike. Dodge. Counter. Round-house kick.**

"Fighting dirty today, Jedi? I had thought you were above such petty tricks."

"That's rich, coming from a Sith. Besides, haven't you heard? All's fair in love and war."

**Rapid strikes, jump! Counter-strike. Dodge. Strike, duck! Lunge. Leap-back. Strike, block, repeat.**

Snarling, M'ren caught Anakin off guard, Force-pushing the blonde into the far wall before using the Force to collapse the wall on top of him. "Anakin!" Obi-wan yelled, fear flooding him for his padawan, but before his cry could fully dissipate, the blonde had rolled free of the debris cloud, a little dirtier but otherwise fine. From the time he rolled free to the time he launched back into battle was roughly a second, but the blonde used a fraction of that time to throw his master a reassuring look. He knew what he was doing, even if it didn't look like it.

**Lunge. Evade. Parry. Strike. Slash. Dodge. Leap!**

"Do you honestly believe you can stop us?" M'ren roared. "You of all people should know that the Sith and the Darkness will always come back. So long as there are Jedi, there will be Sith to destroy them!"

**Slash. Block. Lunge, leap back!**

"That is the corniest thing I've ever heard, and I've had several classes on Jedi poetry," Anakin snorted, ignoring the surprised cheep from the Jedi Master that had taught those classes. "Besides, have you ever stopped to consider that the reverse is also true? So long as there are Sith, there will be Jedi to defeat them."

**Strike. Dodge. Parry. Counter. Thrust.**

The battle was shifting, becoming slower and more concentrated. Both combatants were becoming wary, forced to be less brash as their wounds started to hamper them. Anakin looked rather ragged, mostly from having the wall try to crush him, but his wounds were light. M'ren, on the other hand, had few wounds but each one was much more severe. Despite the tension of the moment, there was a gleam in both sets of eyes. The primal lure of battle and bloodlust was affecting them both.

"You should never had been a Jedi," M'ren whispered, gaze distant. "This power, this rage; how could the Academy have missed you? It's as though you were always meant to be a Sith." But even as he spoke, he could see the gleam fading from the blonde's eyes, leaving them a clear blue once more. Like Qui-gon on Naboo, he let go of his anger and re-focused himself. The sight enraged the Sith. "Why do you deny your power?!" he roared, striking swiftly and managing to throw the blonde back towards the captured Jedi. "Embrace your anger and you could destroy me! You could have the power to rule over all of us!"

"What would I want with power?" Anakin asked, words heavy with an abject weariness. "You work so hard to gain it only to waste your life away, striving for more while protecting what you have. I'd rather have people I could trust and care about than any amount of power, and I decided that long before I even knew that the Jedi existed."

In anger, M'ren lunged forward, saber flashing fiercely. The attack was so powerful that Anakin had no choice but to give before it. The watching Drivers started exclaiming happily, sure that M'ren was winning, but the Council remained eerily silent. They knew Anakin and his fighting style. Despite the apparent retreat, his actions were still calculated, still working towards his goal. Even without the Chancellor's manipulations, the blonde's reputation as a strategic fighter was well deserved, though he had a habit of attacking without thinking.

"I will destroy you!" M'ren screamed, fully consumed by his rage. "The universe will be cleansed of your taint and all your plans will fail!" Leaping away from another wild slash, Anakin landed beside the force field that held the Jedi. He could feel the energy of the shield crackling, warning him away from getting any closer. Only a Sith could pass through, and it was abundantly clear that he was not even close to being a Sith. Glancing over his shoulder, the blonde caught his master's gaze and mouthed an apology, regret swimming in his eyes as their training bond vibrated with his sadness. He'd had a feeling things were going to end this way, though he'd hoped otherwise.

With tears threatening to fall, Anakin turned to face the charging Sith, blocking out his master's desperate cry. "You never did understand, M'ren," he said, deactivating his lightsaber and shifting slightly, leaving himself oddly open. Realization dawned on all the observers as the red saber neared and the blonde made no move to evade. "At what point did I ever indicate –"

"Anakin, no!"

"– that I planned to survive?" With a horrified cry, Obi-wan was forced to watch as his padawan was run through by the red lightsaber, just like his own master had been slain. The room echoed with his cry, mixing it with M'ren's triumphant yell, the horrible moment seeming to stretch out forever, until a surge of smugness hit every Force sensitive being in the room.

"You lose." Before the Sith could react, Anakin's lightsaber, which had been held in a very specific place and angle, activated, cutting right through the Sith's chest. For several long seconds the room was silent with shock till M'ren's body crumpled to the ground, dead.

"What have you done?!" Palpatine screamed, rushing forward to kneel beside the fallen Sith as Anakin stumbled back, pulling the red saber from his chest. "You fool; you've ruined us! You ruined everything! What have you done?!"

"What I should have done a long time ago," the blonde answered, voice laced with pain as he used the Force to trigger the force field's trap. With a rumble, the field inverted, freeing the Jedi and trapping the shocked Drivers, just as planned. "I'm protecting what matters."

Weak with pain, Anakin finally collapsed, barely being caught by Obi-wan before he hit the ground. "Anakin!" the older Jedi said frantically, disbelief and fear nearly overwhelming his voice. "Hold on, just keep holding on. Master Bant, quickly!" The old healer was already rushing forward, though she was despairing inside. All Jedi knew that a wound like that was always fatal.

When Bant tried to touch Anakin, he waved her away. "Don't," he rasped. "Save your strength for someone you can actually save." Nodding, the healer backed away, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to fall. Obi-wan quieted as well, though he did not bother fighting his tears. The rest of the Council gathered as close as they could, blocking Anakin from the view of the irate Drivers that were pounding on the shield. Everyone knew that they were witnessing the blonde's final moments.

"R2D2 has the complete data files," Anakin suddenly said, determined to explain and tell the truth for the first time. "But there are some things you need to know now. The clones obey me, not the General, Palpatine. They're defending the temple and supervising evacuations, though they will likely need help. Some Jedi are helping them, so there might be casualties for the Order, but the number should be low. When I die, command of the clones will transfer to the Council. Do whatever you feel needs to be done, but do not disband them. If you do, there is a chance the General will be able to regain control."

A series of coughs tore through the dying padawan, cutting him off. Obi-wan shifted the blonde in his arms, trying to ease his breathing. Once the fit had passed, Anakin took a moment to catch his breath before continuing, "I'm from a world you've never heard of, called Earth. It's a Sith home world, though I just learned that relatively recently, way beyond the Outer Rim. Almost beyond, beyond the Outer Rim. I was a soldier, and I was sent here to spy on the Jedi and provide intelligence for this attack. There were others, but I don't think any of them are staying."

It was obvious that Anakin was fading fast as his words trailed off. He was struggling to remain focused and his breathing was labored. Yet he kept going, determined to finish what he had started. "I was sent to spy, but things changed. I got to know the Order, learned how you lived, and knew Earth was wrong. That's why I betrayed them and tried to save you. I'm sorry I didn't do more."

"Prepared us, you did," Yoda soothed, trying to reassure the blonde through the Force. The other masters also sent positive thoughts and comfort to the boy, trying to show that they weren't mad. To a certain degree, they all understood. Laying his hand on Anakin's arm, Yoda continued, "Giving your life for us, you are. What more to give, do you have?"

"True," the padawan chuckled weakly, unwilling to admit that he couldn't see anymore. "I just feel like I should have done more. Should have made my decision sooner. Maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad." Finally forcing his blind eyes to look up where he knew his master was, he tried to smile. "Please don't cry, master. This body – it isn't my original one. Crazy, I know, but R2 will explain in detail. Point is that my mind, my soul perhaps, isn't attached to this body. When it dies, I'll live on. Just not here."

"Then I will find you," Obi-wan promised, tears covering his cheeks. "I swear, I'll find you, somehow. Just wait for me, alright?" Unable to speak anymore, Anakin could only smile and attempt a nod. He didn't think his master would ever find him. How could he, when the Jedi didn't have any idea where Earth was? But if it made his master feel better, he would pretend to believe.

Taking the last of his energy, the blonde thought back to his first lesson with Obi-wan. He'd been so different then. So angry and lost. He'd thought that Qui-gon could be the one to help him grow, but it had been Obi-wan. Despite first impressions on both sides, Obi-wan had saved him and he had saved Obi-wan. They'd learned from each other, not always willing but always for the better. Yet, it was always that first lesson that stood out in Anakin's mind. That's why, even as he died and wasn't entirely sure that what he'd told Obi-wan about living on in Aria was true, he gathered all of his negative emotions and released them into the Force.

Seconds later, Anakin Skywalker died in peace.

* * *

_Objective one: Save the Jedi. Status: complete._

_Objective two: Escape the moon lab. Status: in progress._

* * *

The alarms started blaring seconds before Aria jolted out of her sync tube, gasping. She ripped the wires from her body with a shaking hand, trying to convince her body to work. Feeling one body die had been a little more traumatic than she'd thought it would be. As soon as she had time she would probably have a meltdown, but time was the keyword. The force field around the General and his Drivers would hold them on Coruscant for a while, but not forever. She had to escape before they returned.

On unsteady legs, the blonde fled the sync room before any scientist could arrive to investigate the alarm. The halls and stairs were empty as everyone not on duty in the labs or on guard were confined to quarters pending the completion of the mission. It was a good thing too, since she couldn't run straight and never would have made it if she'd had to dodge around people. Her mind was still struggling to comprehend that she was, in fact, alive. Fumbling with her transmitter, she sent Caelum an emergency beep, including a tracer signal so that he could find and reach her as she arrived at the hangar bay.

"Halt!" the guard shouted, stopping her outside. "No one is allowed entrance to the hanger until the mission completion, by order of the General. What are you doing out of sync anyway?" Hearing Caelum arrive behind her and wondering how he'd found her so fast, Aria forced herself to forget her physical and mental condition, waving her hand and hoping the trick worked.

"The General gave me permission to enter whenever I want," she said, using the Force to implant the idea. "Why don't you override the lockdown and let us through?"

For a long moment the hall was silent and Aria wondered if it would work. Then, to her surprise, the guard smiled and backed up. "Oh yeah, you're the one that the General gave special permission to, to enter whenever you want. I'll just override the lockdown and let you both through." Muffling her sigh of relief, Aria patiently waited for the door to open before dashing through, subtly using the Force to pull Caelum along. To his credit, he didn't make a sound until they were out of the guard's hearing.

"What's going on?" he finally asked as the blonde stopped beside a small two-man shuttle. At first she didn't answer, quickly slinging him over her shoulder and somehow hoisting him into the back of the small cockpit with only one whole arm. For a few seconds she struggled with the wheelchair before it folded up and she could store it. Once the chair was secure, she pulled herself into the pilot seat and quickly set about prepping the ship for flight, occasionally helping the scientist arrange his nerveless legs.

"M'ren is dead," she finally replied shortly, trying to remember how the Earth shuttles worked. It was just similar enough to the Jedi starfighter craft that she had used, to trip her up. "I killed him." Having only one whole arm certainly wasn't helping matters, but it also wasn't hurting her, thank the Force. For the first time, she was grateful for all the time she'd had to get used to the handicap. "The General sort of saw the whole thing so now I need to get out of here before he ends his sync." A horrible thought entered her mind and she paused her preparations, looking back at her friend. "I – assumed you would want to come along but if you'd rather stay –."

With amazing calm that mostly came from shock, Caelum reached forward and gently smacked Aria across the back of the head. "Of course I'm coming," he scolded, smiling nonetheless. Nice to know she wouldn't force him to come. "I told you, I'm on your side. Not the Generals. So let's go."

Smiling, Aria turned back to the controls and minutes later they were flying free of the station. The shuttle was incapable of escaping into space, leaving Earth as their only possible destination. The blonde knew life wouldn't be easy for them from that point on. The General would be after them as soon as he managed to escape his Palpatine body, having the entire military at his disposal. It was also a safe bet that any other Sith in the area would be looking for her. Even the royal family might get involved, though she was less sure about that. She and Caelum would have to ditch the shuttle the moment they landed and put as much distance between them and the vehicle as they could, as quickly as they could. Some of her former contacts might be willing to hide them for a short time while she made a more permanent plan, but they'd have to keep moving for a very long time.

Despite all that was against them, the blonde was hopeful as she piloted the shuttle towards Earth. She was making a choice, making a stand, and though the situation was as far from ideal as she could get, she had no regrets. Better to die free than to live as a slave. However, she did look out into the vastness of space and smiled for a second before they entered Earth's atmosphere. All she had to do was survive for a while. That was her only task. After all, Obi-wan would come for her.

He'd promised.


	7. The end of my Beginning

Epilogue

The End of my Beginning

The whistle finally blew, signaling the end of the work day. All around the factory the workers stopped what they were doing to stretch and groan in relief. Up on the catwalk, the security guards were no exception. Even the former soldiers were glad the long day was over. As a group, the guards wondered down the walkway, joking and laughing amongst themselves. Checking out at the front grate and welcoming their reliefs as they passed by, most of the guards headed down the mountain trails to the nearby town, intent on relaxing until their next shift.

One guard, however, didn't. Instead, she waved goodbye to her friends and went further up the mountain, following a nearly invisible path through the vegetation. Eventually, she came to a clearing in the forest that held a small cottage. Pausing at the edge of the open space, she looked around and smiled wryly. "This is so cliché," she chuckled, not for the first time. Shaking her head, she made her way through the grass and flowers to climb on to the porch. Entering quietly, she took a deep breath and relished the feeling of coming home. "I'm back!" she called, kicking her boots off by the door.

"Aria! Welcome home!" Caelum replied, wheeling into the main room. He beamed at her, looking far happier than she had ever seen him on the moon, despite the large scar down his face. The same could arguably be said for her, substituting missing arm for scar. They were still hiding and sort of on the run, but they had learned to be happy with their lives regardless of the situations they found themselves in. Her old Jedi teachers would never believe that she'd actually become content. "How was your day at the factory?"

"Pretty boring," the blonde answered, shrugging out of her coat and hanging it on the peg by the door. "Geophry challenged me to a fight again. He has yet to figure out that having only one whole arm is not a handicap." Well, to be fair, it was to most people. Just not to ex-soldier, ex-Jedi people. "After a three minute fight he withdrew his challenge and we moved on with our shift."

"Three minutes?" Caelum chuckled, wheeling himself back into the kitchen area. "He's improving. Didn't you beat him in ten seconds the first time you two fought?"

"Seven seconds," she corrected, settling on to her meditation mat. "The second fight was ten seconds." Seeing what she was doing, the former scientist just hummed in reply as he finished making dinner. He always tried to not disturb her when she meditated. After all, it was all she had left of the Order.

The last three years had been far from easy for either of them. Escaping the moon had actually been the simple part. After they had landed, they had spent eighteen months just going from place to place, trying to stay one step ahead of the army and the Sith. Several times they had only survived because Aria had used the Force in some way. Then, one day, they'd come across the clearing and the cottage already built within it. Just being near the area gave Aria a migraine she could barely function through. After some investigation, she discovered the entire area was a meteor crater and that something in the rocks was affecting the flow of the Force. After a lot of arguments, they had decided to move into the cottage after assuring themselves that it was abandoned. Despite the pain the blonde was suffering, it was the safest place on Earth for them. The Sith would not approach the clearing because they suffered like Aria did, while the military assumed that the blonde would not willing live in a place that caused her pain, or that Caelum would allow her to. Obviously they were wrong, though Caelum was far from happy about the blonde being in constant pain for their safety. However, now that another eighteen months had gone by, Aria was rather used to the migraine and it hardly affected her anymore. In fact, her coworkers at the factory weren't even aware that she was in pain.

The time from when the duo moved into cabin to when the local factory offered Aria a job as a security guard was less than a week. It had taken even less time for everyone there to learn that she was a person to respect, crippled or not. As a Jedi she was certainly more pacifistic than she'd used to be, but she was still not afraid to fight someone.

As imperfect and un-idyllic as their situation was, it was their life. They'd learned to accept it. But recently, Aria had become twitchy. She was restless, constantly flinching at sudden noises and often staring at the sky. So far she hadn't divulged the reason to Caelum and he was trying to hold his peace, but it was hard. Yet again he was being forced to watch his friend suffer alone without being allowed to help. The blonde was meditating every spare moment she had, trying to keep herself focused and centered, but it seemed to be failing.

"Aria, dinner's ready," Caelum called, placing the final plate on the table. The blonde stood smoothly from her place in the corner, seeming to be as calm and collected as she had once been. Her friend knew better, but chose to keep his silence one night longer. Aria was too tired to confront just then. Of course, anymore, she was always tired.

The friends ate dinner in a comfortable silence, despite all the unspoken issues that surrounded them. The sun had set long ago but the cottage remained brightly lit, warding off any negative mindsets. It hadn't always been that way, but Aria had redesigned and renovated the cottage interior specifically so that it could be easily lit at all times. She had had issues with darkness ever since M'ren had first attacked her, and had tried to always have a source of light with her at all times since then. At the temple that had been fairly easy, but on Earth before they'd found the cottage she had occasionally been forced to hide in dark places. That was a matter of survival and was accepted as such, but the blonde would not accept that fear within her own home. Since it kept the cottage warm and bright, Caelum didn't mind. It was just one of her quirks that he had learned to accept and embrace.

"I spoke to Mr. Barnes today," Aria suddenly said as she gathered the dirty dishes together and carried them to the sink. "You remember him, right? He owns the factory and brought that new wheelchair for you so you could go outside?"

"I remember," was the dry reply as her friend watched her work. He could cook easily but it was hard to wash dishes from a wheelchair, making the clean up fall on Aria's shoulders after every meal. It used to make him guilty but then he had learned that while the blonde could cook food to keep herself alive, about half the stuff she could make wasn't usually considered edible. With that discovery, they had settled into an easy partnership where he cooked, she cleaned, and no one felt guilty. "He's also one of the men trying to get you to agree to a date." And not making much progress, he added silently.

"That's the one," Aria laughed, smiling for a brief moment. It died a rather quick death, though. "Anyway, I asked him to make sure you were cared for, if anything should happen to me." A cold feeling of dread washed over the doctor. "Just thought you should know –."

"Whoa, whoa, back up," Caelum interrupted, panicking slightly. She wasn't saying what he thought she was, right? "What are you talking about? What could happen to you?"

For a while Aria was silent, continuing her task of washing the dishes. Caelum waited her out, knowing that she wasn't refusing to answer. She just wasn't sure _how_. It wasn't until she had no more dishes to clean that she sighed and faced her friend. "There's a disturbance in the Force," she admitted, cringing slightly at the cheesy term. "The entire crater has been reacting to it for the last couple weeks. A large group of Force users came to Earth and have been moving across the planet in a standard grid formation, probably looking for something."

"Or someone," Caelum finished, seeing where she was going. "You think they're looking for you."

"Not to sound conceited, but I can't think of any other reason a group of Force users would search this planet," Aria chuckled darkly, turning back to the sink so that she could put the cleaning supplies away. "Granted, I've had no contact with any Force users for three years, so its possible they could be here for another reason entirely. I'm just trying to be careful for once."

Thus ended the conversation for the night. The constant wear of work, pain, and now the stress of the approaching Force users left Aria with little energy to use on any activity besides eating, sleeping, working, and meditating. It left a bitter taste in Caelum's mouth as he watched his friend crawl into bed, utterly exhausted, and knowing that she would likely look no better when she woke up. Being bound to the wheelchair as he was, there was little the doctor could provide to maintain their livelihood. Aria was the one to earn the money, buy supplies, clean the cottage, complete repairs, and many other menial tasks. The least he could do was let her rest when she needed to.

The next day though, Caelum was shocked when Aria pulled him into a hug. "Thanks for staying with me," she whispered before dashing out the door, heading towards the factory. It put a smile on the older man's face that persisted through the day – until there was a knock on the door. Cautiously, he answered and proceeded to nearly have a heart attack.

* * *

"Hey, Sky!" Aria glanced over her shoulder to watch Leon approach as they both headed towards the main gate. "That was some good work today," he said with a smile. "Who knows how much damage that saboteur could have done if you hadn't stopped him."

"Considering he yelled his intentions the second he stepped through the door, I doubt he was intelligent enough to be a true threat," she dismissed, looking forward again. Leon was one of the many males that was trying to court her and she didn't feel like putting up with his flattery just then. "Any of us could have taken him out. I just happened to be closest." And had recognized the symbol of the rebellion stitched onto his jacket but that didn't need to be said. So far as the general population was concerned, there was no rebellion, let alone a symbol for them.

Giving her pass to the guard at the gate, the blonde stopped to stretch. She would never admit it out loud, but she missed her prosthetic arm. It had been a pain and a hassle at times, but after a while it had become as much a part of her as her flesh-and-blood arm had been. Besides, it held good memories too. All those days with Obi-wan as he helped her through rehab, all those nights with Adam as they tinkered with the design to improve form and function. Even after three years, it hurt to remember everything she had lost.

"Oh, by the way, I saw someone heading up to your place earlier," Leon said, not noticing when Aria stopped dead in her tracks. "Two someones, actually, in these weird looking robes. Have you finally learned to make friends? Or maybe they came from the circus next – hey!"

Foregoing her usual self-imposed restrictions to remain inconspicuous, the blonde raced up the mountain. She couldn't sense any Forcer users nearby, but that meant nothing this close to the crater. "Caelum," she breathed, running down the path. "Please be okay."

The clearing looked perfectly normal when she finally reached it. No smoking craters, no screams, no damage to the cabin. However, here it was clear that the flow of the Force was completely different. There was no way to determine the exact location of the intruders, but they had to be close. Yes, there was something almost familiar about the feeling. The current was warm and felt safe. A crazy idea started worming into her mind as she slowly approached the cottage. Hardly daring to hope, she silently opened the door and slid inside. Everything was just as still and quiet as it had been outside, until –.

"Anakin!" A Twi'lek suddenly burst from around the corner, a grin nearly splitting his face in two. "You're here!" Before Aria could fully comprehend what she was seeing, she was pulled into an enthusiastic and slightly desperate hug. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" the Twi'lek yelled, lifting her in the air and spinning her around, joy and excitement rushing through the Force to spin around them. Then the arms tightened, edging away from happiness and into fear of letting go. "I thought – I was beginning to think – we've been looking for so long but we couldn't find you anywhere so I – I thought –."

Finally free of her shock, Aria wrapped her own arms around the Twi'lek, letting her joy and contentment envelope them both. "You found me, Adam," she whispered. "You win the game. I'll never be able to top this." Laughing, her old friend released her from the hug but still held on to her shoulders tightly, like he was afraid she would vanish if he let go. For a moment, he just looked at her, smiling the entire time.

"You look just like him," he said in wonder, joy still bubbling in his words so she couldn't manage to take offense at the phrasing. "I mean, except that you're a girl and all." He laughed at her scowl, sounding so happy and relieved that she couldn't maintain her irritation and wound up smiling as well. His laughter did die when he saw her missing arm though, being replaced by a frown of displeasure. Considering he didn't seem confused, she assumed that Caelum had told him about how she'd –.

"Caelum!" Aria suddenly yelled, her fear for her friend roaring into life again. Even with Adam clearly before her, it had become normal to be afraid. It wasn't natural and it was something she was trying to overcome, but sometimes it was the only thing to keep her alive. However, this time her fears were for not as she saw the scientist smiling at her from the kitchen, sharing tea with Master Bant, who was also watching her with a smile.

"I was wondering when you were going to remember me," Caelum teased, wheeling into the main room while the Jedi master followed serenely. "Your friends were just telling me about some of your adventures as a padawan that you never reported. Something about a gundark nest?" All three laughed at the face she pulled. That was an adventure she would rather forget.

Despite her joy at seeing the Jedi, Aria knew that the situation was still serious, and decided she might as well be the one to kill the happy atmosphere by sobering up. Caelum noticed the shift and followed suit, the Jedi being slightly slower. "Not that I'm not happy to see you both," the blonde said, a tiny smile evident in the corners of her mouth, "but why are you here. Earth is just about as far from the Republic as it can be and is a Sith world to boot. You're in danger here."

"As are you," Master Bant countered, gaze level and calm. "In fact, your danger is greater. The Sith are not looking for us." Wincing, Aria had to concede the point. Hadn't this lady ever learned to soften her words? "As for why we are here, we clearly came for you." She smiled at the blonde's surprise. "After everything you did for the Order, did you really thing that we would just leave you to your fate, especially Obi-wan? Jedi never abandon our own, you should know this."

"But I'm not a Jedi," Aria instantly denied, eyes tight. Regret and anger burned in her words, surprising both Jedi. They hadn't considered that she would think such a thing, though Adam realized that they should have. It fit into the blonde's personality to a T. "I _was _a soldier pretending to be a Jedi, but I'm not even that anymore. I'm just a stubborn, crippled, hunted traitor that happens to know a few good Force tricks."

Silence fell over the cottage as her words sunk in slowly. The blonde stood in the middle, eyes cast down and arm wrapped around herself as she trembled. It was the first time she'd admitted that she wasn't a Jedi, and it had hurt. For a long time the only thing to keep her going was her memories and training as a Jedi. To denounce that was worse then denouncing her family had been before she'd joined the military. This time, she was denying something she actually wanted. She was sure that her friends would realize she was right and would leave, though she wasn't sure if she would survive it. However, she refused to live a life of lies ever again, so she could only brace for the pain.

Then, "There is no emotion; there is peace," Adam said quietly, tilting Aria's face up so that she was looking at him instead of at the floor. "There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force. So says the Jedi Code, the Code that every Jedi has strived to live by since the founding of our Order. You know this as well as I do, so how can you say that you are not a Jedi?"

"No one is born a Jedi, Anakin," Bant agreed, eyes earnest as they met the younger girl's confused gaze. "All of us learn how to be one. Usually, we must learn young and grow up in our ways, but sometimes an older being will be strong enough and determined enough to commit fully to the Code, the Order, and the Jedi way of life. Their age upon entrance does not make them any less of a Jedi."

"Don't forget our time on the moon," Caelum added, surprising the blonde as he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "The General forbid any Jedi customs from being practiced outside of the sync, and every other Jedi Driver obeyed without question or complaint. You did not. No matter how difficult, you made sure to find isolated locations to meditate, to clear you mind, and to release your emotions. From the moment you learned about the Code, you tried to live it, no matter which body you inhabited. For a long time, when I thought about what a Jedi must be like, I didn't think of the lectures that the military would give on our enemy. I thought about you. And I thought, if they are like Aria, they aren't that bad after all."

Adam caught her attention again, speaking firmly in an attempt to make her understand. "When you fought the Sith in the Senate tower, you did so with no emotion clouding your mind or heart. No anger, no fear. You were at peace with your decision and the result you knew would come from the battle."

"You never accepted ignorance," Bant continued, speaking from the heart in a way she rarely did. She could see how important this moment was; if they couldn't convince this young and damaged soul to try once more, they would lose a person she knew could never be replaced. "Whether in yourself or in others, you were always determined to find the truth. Even when it hurt you, even when it caused nothing but problems, you understood that only that which is built on solid knowledge will last forever, so you accepted nothing less."

"Even in moments high in tension and passion, you were always calm," Caelum insisted, wondering how the blonde could miss what they all saw so clearly. "When M'ren was rampaging against you and threatening to destroy everything you cared for, everyone could feel a steadiness that could not be moved from you. No matter who you faced or what you did, there was a serenity about you that many people envied."

"To live two lives made your existence one of chaos, but you created a balance between them," the old master included, knowing that they were close to an answer. "Just like when you would linger within the Room of A Thousand Fountains; out of chaos and discord, you found harmony where others would swear it could not exist."

"And you never feared death," Adam finished, urging her to understand them. "You know what comes after this life, and you don't fear it. Anakin, some _masters _struggle with that. Do you hear us? Are you beginning to understand what we are trying to tell you? You are a Jedi. No matter where you came from, or what you were, or how old you are, you are now a Jedi. You _chose_ to be a Jedi and that is a decision only you can take back. From what Caelum has told us, even in these last three years you have followed the Code, making it the center of your life. I will say it every day for the rest of our lives, if I must. You. Are. A. Jedi." They could all see the war in her eyes as the blonde struggled between the two options, encouraging Caelum to give a final push.

"Aria, you've always wanted to return to the Jedi," he softly whispered, catching her attention better than a yell ever would. "Don't let fear stop you. Remember what Yoda said to you so long ago; what you've tried to live by for all these years. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. If you let fear stop you now, you will never forgive yourself. You will become bitter and angry until you become the very thing you've been fighting against."

"I'll never forgive myself if I leave you here, either." she answered just as quietly, finally losing the battle against her tears. It felt like she was being torn in two, forced to choose between the friend she loved more than life and the life she craved more than anything in the world. An impossible decision if there ever was one.

"Who said anything about leaving Caelum?" Adam asked, startling the two Earthians from their staring contest. "We're here for both of you." When they continued to stare, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, did we not make that clear? After hearing about everything you two have gone through together, we contacted the Council to ask if Caelum could be brought to the temple as well and they gave their permission." It took a moment for his words to sink in but once they had he found himself with an armful of exuberant blonde, laughing in joyous relief. He met the doctor's eyes for a moment and clearly saw the gratitude within them, smiling in return.

Then Aria suddenly stiffened and jerked back, her face a mask of terror. "You called the Council?" she asked in a strangled voice. "When did you do that?" Hearing her words, Caelum's face quickly drained of color, causing both Jedi to worry.

"While Caelum was making the tea," Master Bant answered, feeling the fear rush into the room. "Why? What is wrong?" Rather then answer, Aria dashed into the back rooms at the panicked speed that they had only seen Anakin use when Obi-wan was doing something very stupid that would likely result in his death.

"The Sith have a radio signal net surrounding the planet, designed to catch any transmissions from Earth," Caelum explained tensely, glancing nervously out the still open door. "That's why Aria never tried to contact the Order before. No doubt the Sith and military are on their way here now." With a slightly grunt from the weight, the blonde came back from the rooms, a bag thrown over her shoulder, containing the few items that she and Caelum couldn't leave behind.

Completely at odds with the situation, Aria smiled at the Jedi and they suddenly saw Anakin in her, looking no different that they last time they'd seen his face. "We were probably going to come with you anyway, but would you mind if we hurried a little?"

"Let's run," Adam replied, unable to hold his own smile back. Quietly, Bant lifted Caelum with the Force and held him easily as Adam and Aria collapsed the wheelchair and slung it across the Twi'lek's back. Moving quickly, the small group dashed out of the cabin and into the surrounding forest. They moved in silence for a while, trying to gain as much distance as possible, until a muffled explosion behind them made them turn around. A large pillar of smoke was drifting into the sky, marking the end of the cottage.

"Where did you land?" the blonde asked, wondering how far they had to travel and trying to ignore the pain of losing her home. She was gaining a better one, but the cabin had been special, considering it was the first place she'd chosen as her own. The temple was wonderful and she couldn't wait to see it again, but this loss was still a bitter one.

Not knowing actual landmarks or names, Adam pointed towards the peak of the mountain adjacent to the one they were on. "Follow me then," the blonde ordered, quickly heading out. She knew the forest like the back of her hand, which meant knowing all the shortcuts that an outsider like the Sith or military would never see. If she had been with anyone else, she might have worried about them keeping up as the route she chose wasn't exactly smooth, but Jedi were usually pretty physically fit. The rough terrain wasn't too much of a hinderance and they made good time.

Nearly an hour, and one or two close calls, later, the small party reached the Jedi's shuttle. Military trackers were on their heels, making everyone scramble. "Hope you don't get airsick," Adam joked to Caelum, helping strap the scientist in while Aria breezed through the preflight checklist. Master Bant chose to join the scientist in the back of the shuttle while the Twi'lek took the copilot seat, not even thinking of trying to take the blonde's place. In moments they were airborne and already weaving between mountain peaks. "I see you haven't lost your flying skills," he said, carefully watching the sensors. He didn't want any Sith to drop in unannounced.

"I always told you it was pure natural talent," the blonde answered, carefully maneuvering the ship. There was a weak spot in the Sith security grid that she knew about, relatively close to their position. It was their best choice as an escape route. That didn't mean it was going to be easy. "Hold on, this is going to get bumpy," she warned, knowing that Caelum was going to give her hell for this later. Sure enough, a few seconds later they were passing through the atmosphere and the ship shook violently at the speed she pushed it too. They were well within safety parameters but that didn't stop Caelum from cussing in the rear, bring a smile to Adam's and Bant's faces. Seemed Aria's best friend and her master had something in common; hatred of flying.

"We need to work on your definition of bumpy," the scientist complained after they'd made it through the final layer of the atmosphere. Chuckling, Aria just nodded, concentrating slightly more on her piloting. She was a little rusty and didn't know how many Sith ships were in orbit around Earth so wasn't sure if she'd need any fancy flying tricks. This trip would end very quickly if the Sith spotted them before the Jedi.

"What's the plan, Adam?" she asked, glancing at the controls. "Are we returning to Coruscant like this?" If he said yes she was going to have some serious words with him. The shuttle wasn't designed for long-range flights.

"Nope, we're hitching a ride with them," the Twi'lek answered, pointing out a ship that was barely visible and beyond their sensors. "The _Radiant Hope_, fastest ship in the Order. We were sent out the moment the Council managed to get Earth's location. Still took nine days in hyperspace though. You live pretty far off the grid."

"I do believe I mentioned that to the Council just before I died," the blonde retorted, angling the shuttle to rendezvous with the waiting vessel. She had to admit, she never would have approached it if Adam hadn't pointed it out. The ship looked Sith in design, probably an attempt at camouflage, but almost too perfect. "Adam, was the _Radiant Hope_ captured from the Sith?"

"It was," Bant answered instead, sounding slightly surprised. "How could you tell?" She noted the grim smiles both humans gave, knowing that there was a story she was not privy to.

"Lucky guess." The shuttle's systems suddenly lit up as they entered the _Radiant Hope_'s sensor range. A quick welcome message flashed across the pilot's screen before landing instructions were given. "Alright everyone, we're going in. Caelum, please refrain from barfing."

"I make no promises," came the weak reply. Sighing, the blonde could only shake her head as she came in on approach. For a moment she wondered if she could remember how to land, but then muscle memory took over and they easily maneuvered into the hangar bay for a gentle touchdown. "Is it over yet?"

"Yes, it's over," Aria said, unstrapping herself and joining her friend before Adam had finished shutting everything down. The Jedi gave them their space as she unhooked the man and carefully settled him into the unfolded wheelchair. They watched as the blonde sat on the ground before Caelum, quietly talking about unimportant things like Dex's Diner and podracing, realizing that she was helping him through his panic. It was done so smoothly, the Jedi knew it had to be a common event, probably on both sides.

Eventually, Caelum had calmed enough for the party to disembark. Aria brought up the rear, but the second she stepped off the ship the entire hangar broke into thunderous applause and cheering. It startled her so much she nearly dashed right back onboard, only holding her place by locking her legs. "What are they cheering for?" she asked, looking around uncertainly.

"We're cheering because we found you," came a voice to her right. Looking over, the blonde was greeted with the smiling face of Cody. "It's good to see you again, Commander Skywalker." The clone then grunted in surprise as Aria suddenly tackled him in a hug, laughing as he returned it. Quietly, he said, "I've been waiting for you."

"You were supposed to follow the Council," Aria argued, confused. "All of the clones were. So why wait for me?"

"I'm not sure," the Cody admitted with a shrug, releasing the Jedi from the hug. "When we received word of your death my gut kept insisting that you were alive. I've been working with the Council to find you ever since your battle with M'ren." Smiling, he saluted her. "Welcome home, Commander Skywalker." Returning the grin, she saluted back before hurrying after her waiting friends, happily greeting the other beings in the hangar before the small group ducked out.

The halls were quieter, thankfully, and the group could move relatively unhindered, only having to pause a couple times as various people welcomed Aria back. Master Bant eventually broke away, stating that she had to report the success of their mission to the Council. Bidding her farewell, the others continued a short distance before reaching the quarters that had been assigned to Aria and Caelum. "This is your new temporary home," Adam said, opening the door with a code. "These rooms are secured so that only those with the correct code can enter. Now that they are yours, you can choose a new one." Nodding in understanding, considering that it wasn't any different than typical Jedi security, Aria went to enter but was stopped by a gentle hand. Surprised, she looked up at her friend to see him smile. "There's someone on board that's very anxious to see you. He wanted to go to the planet, but the Council decided it was too dangerous. Instead, he's spent most of his time in the meditation room, third deck. Maybe you could go check it out." Knowing exactly what he was saying, the blonde smiled and nodded, receiving a nod in return.

Releasing the blonde, Adam turned to talk to Caelum for a minute while Aria entered and inspected the new rooms. Satisfied that everything was in order, she put the bag of hers and Caelum's belongings down at last. Seeing that one bunk had a stack of Jedi clothes, she decided it was meant for her and started unpacking her stuff around it. She barely noticed when her friend wheeled into the room and over to the large window on the outside wall. Her quiet thoughts and nervous twitches were interrupted when he spoke.

"Aria?"

"Yes, Caelum?"

"Do you remember that time when I asked you to describe the spaceships to me and I didn't believe you when you said how big they were?"

"Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"I'd like to retract my disbelief now and offer an apology for not believing."

"Don't worry about it," Aria chuckled, stowing the last of her belongings under her bunk and placing Caelum's stuff on the opposite bed. Caelum had always had a fascination with spacecraft, and she was frankly amazed that he hadn't started pestering her with questions about the shuttle the second he'd seen it. No doubt he would soon seek out an engineer to barrage with his inquiries. She hoped whomever he found wasn't prone to headaches, or they would get one very quickly.

Regardless, she was glad to be onboard the ship at last. For the first time in three years, she felt like she could relax and not worry about if she or Caelum would get killed because of it. There was no reason to be suspicious of everyone she met, she no longer had to look over her shoulder, though she probably would out of reflex for a while. The few Jedi she'd already seen on the ship had greeted her warmly, proving that Adam and Bant hadn't lied about her still being welcome amongst the Order. Best of all, her migraine was completely gone. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to be pain free.

Actually, that wasn't the best part. That was yet to come.

"Caelum, will you be alright on your own for a while?" she asked as she started changing clothes, ignoring the fact that he was seeing her naked. That had happened a lot on the moon and when you depend on someone for survival for three years, little things like nudity cease to matter. For a moment she allowed herself to savor the feeling of the Jedi clothes. She'd never thought she'd miss tunics and leggings so much! Although, if she was being honest, she did miss her darker colors. Off-white and tan just did not look good on her. "I've got some things I need to do but I don't want to leave you at odds."

"Go, go," Caelum chuckled, even as he rolled over to help pin up the sleeve on her missing arm. "Your friend Adam said he'd come give me a tour of the ship after he grabbed some stuff from his quarters. We'll be fine on our own, so you go have fun." Finishing the sleeve, the doctor smiled up at the blonde, hoping she would understand what he was about to say. "You've come so far since I first met you, and I'm so proud of you. Even if I was a little afraid of you when you realized that you'd been de-aged." They both laughed at the memory. She'd been so angry and lost back then. Actually, come to think of it, she still had that stress ball she'd been given, sitting innocently amongst the other small items she'd brought from the cabin. "I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me these last few years, despite my useless state."

"Useless?" Aria echoed, shocked. "You've never been useless, Caelum. Sure, you're physically restricted, but I didn't need a physically fit companion. I needed someone who would understand when I needed to rant and when I needed to be quiet. Someone who wouldn't demand anything from me; someone who wouldn't judge. I needed a friend." Clasping Caelum's shoulder, Aria let the Jedi control she'd tried to maintain since the escape from moon drop, showing all of her love and gratitude on her face. "When I lost the Jedi, I felt like I had lost everything. Except for you. I couldn't give up on life, because you were still there for me." Pulling the stunned scientist into a hug, she clutched him tight. "I know it might look like I was the provider in our relationship, but I'm alive today because of you. Never doubt that." She pretended not to notice as Caelum cried onto her shoulder, and he gave her the same courtesy.

After a few minutes they released each other silently, understanding that this moment would never be repeated. As a Jedi, Aria would not be able to maintain this close connection to any person. They would drift apart as she learned to let go of him, but their friendship and gratitude would never fade. It would never be spoken of again, but it would be there.

Leaving the rooms, Aria waved to Adam as she trotted down the hall, not noticing his return wave. The hall was mostly empty, giving the blonde time to think as she went along. The ship had jumped to hyperspace some time ago, allowing her to watch the stars streak by as they hurtled through space. It was a sight she'd never known she'd miss, but now it seemed almost as wonderful as seeing her friends again had been. Even with their speed, she knew it would take a while to reach Coruscant. Earth was certainly the farthest any Jedi had ever traveled into space. She was still in shock that the Order had sent such a fast ship to rescue her, although she guessed that the war was likely over and the demand for ships wasn't as high as it had been. Master Bant had mentioned that no Jedi had wanted to waste time once they'd discovered Earth, but the blonde still had trouble believing that the Order cared about her in particular that much. Although, she did admit that she had been wrong before.

As she'd thought, the meditation room was nearly empty when she finally reached it. There was only one person inside; a male Jedi that turned to face her as she entered. For a long moment, the pair stared at each other, nerves and awkwardness fading away as they realized that nothing had changed between them. It was as if the three years had never happened and that they had seen each other just hours ago. There was no need for words or explanations, because they still understood each other perfectly from just a glance. Then the Jedi smiled, finally relaxing for the first time in three years. "Welcome back, Anakin."

"It's good to be back, Obi-wan."

* * *

_Babble time: And thus is the end of the first story. The sequel, Royal Jedi, is completed and will be coming up over the next few weeks. Please let me know if there are any problems, typos, or if you have any questions or ideas. Thanks for reading._


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